Pectate lyases, nucleic encoding them and methods for making and using them

ABSTRACT

The invention is directed to polypeptides having pectate lyase (pectinase) activity, polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides, and methods for making and using these polynucleotides and polypeptides. The polypeptides of the invention can be used as pectate lyases to catalyze the beta-elimination or hydrolysis of pectin and/or polygalacturonic acid, such as 1,4-linked alpha-D-galacturonic acid. The invention provides methods of treating fibers, fabrics or any pectate- or polygalacturonic acid-comprising material using one or more pectate lyases of the invention.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a national phase application claiming the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §371 to Patent Convention Treaty (PCT) International Application Serial No. PCT/US2004/010229, filed Apr. 2, 2004 (published as WO 2004/090099, on Oct. 21, 2004), which claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 60/460,842, filed Apr. 4, 2003; and 60/484,798, filed Jul. 3, 2003. Each of the aforementioned applications is explicitly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry and biotechnology. In particular, the invention is directed to polypeptides having a pectate lyase activity, e.g., a pectinase, polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides, and methods for making and using these polynucleotides and polypeptides. The polypeptides of the invention can be used as pectate lyases to catalyze the beta-elimination or hydrolysis of pectin and/or polygalacturonic acid, such as 1,4-linked alpha-D-galacturonic acid. They can be used in variety of industrial applications, e.g., to treat plant cell walls, such as those in cotton or other natural fibers. In another exemplary industrial application, the polypeptides of the invention can be used in textile scouring.

BACKGROUND

Cotton fiber consists of a primary and a secondary cell wall. The secondary cell wall is practically pure cellulose, whereas the primary cell wall is a complex lattice of pectin, protein, waxes, pigments, hemicellulose and cellulose. In textile scouring of cellulosic material (e.g. knitted or woven cotton fabric) alkaline conditions (up to 10% NaOH) and high temperatures (up to 100° C.) are needed for effective removal of primary cell wall components. This harsh chemical treatment results in raw material losses and in substantial environmental burden. There are several different enzymes that have the ability to degrade pectin; these are the pectinases, pectin methylesterases, pectin lyases and pectate lyases.

“Size” is the name given to the substance or mixture of substances that is applied to the warp thread before weaving. The size forms a coating around the surface of the thread before weaving. This coating provides the lubrication and prevents the breakage of warp thread during the weaving operation. Some common chemicals used to prepare sizes are Polyacrylic Acid (PA), Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA), Starch, and Modified Starch. Cellulosic fibers including cotton, rayon and blend of these with synthetic fibers such as polyester, is usually sized with starch-based sizes. Desizing process removes the size before dyeing, printing and/or finishing. Starch sizes can be removed by hot acid wash, which will hydrolyze starch. However, acid hydrolysis results in loss of raw material since cellulose is also prone to acid hydrolysis. Starch sizes can also be removed by using hydrogen peroxide to degrade starch by oxidation. Desizing can also be an enzymatic process. Amylases have been used for many years in textile industry for removal of starch sizes. Conditions (e.g., pH and temperature) for enzymatic desizing are dictated by the operating conditions of the enzyme. Most amylases used in the application are relatively thermostable, however, they are neutral or acidic optimum enzymes.

“Scouring” is a process in which desized cotton fabric is processed to solubilize and extract undesired non-cellulosic material naturally found in cotton and also to remove applied impurities such as machinery lubricants. Scouring uses highly alkaline chemicals to remove the non-cellulosic material, which has a serious environmental impact. Additionally, the chemicals partially degrade the cellulose in the cotton fiber which causes a loss of fiber strength and raw materials and as such is a non-optimal process. The final step in the cotton fabric pretreatment process is bleaching in which the natural pigments and matter present in the fiber are bleached. A thermostable alkaline pectinolytic enzyme that could target specifically the non-cellulosic material could reduce or eliminate the use of harsh chemicals lessening the burden on the environment while maintaining the integrity and strength of the cotton fiber.

SUMMARY

The invention provides isolated or recombinant nucleic acids comprising a nucleic acid sequence having at least about 50%, 51%, 52%, 53%, 54%, 55%, 56%, 57%, 58%, 59%, 60%, 61%, 62%, 63%, 64%, 65%, 66%, 67%, 68%, 69%, 70%, 71%, 72%, 73%, 74%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or more, or complete (100%) sequence identity to an exemplary nucleic acid of the invention, e.g., SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:13, SEQ ID NO:15, SEQ ID NO:17, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:21, SEQ ID NO:23, SEQ ID NO:25, SEQ ID NO:27, SEQ ID NO:29, SEQ ID NO:31, SEQ ID NO:33, SEQ ID NO:35, SEQ ID NO:37, SEQ ID NO:39, SEQ ID NO:41, SEQ ID NO:43, SEQ ID NO:45, SEQ ID NO:47, SEQ ID NO:49, SEQ ID NO:51, SEQ ID NO:53, SEQ ID NO:55, SEQ ID NO:57, SEQ ID NO:59, SEQ ID NO:61, SEQ ID NO:63, SEQ ID NO:65, SEQ ID NO:67, SEQ ID NO:69, SEQ ID NO:71, SEQ ID NO:73, SEQ ID NO:75, SEQ ID NO:77, SEQ ID NO:79, SEQ ID NO:81, SEQ ID NO:83, SEQ ID NO:85, SEQ ID NO:87, SEQ ID NO:89, SEQ ID NO:91, SEQ ID NO:93, SEQ ID NO:95, SEQ ID NO:97, SEQ ID NO:99, SEQ ID NO:101, SEQ ID NO:103, SEQ ID NO:105, SEQ ID NO:107, SEQ ID NO:109, SEQ ID NO:111, SEQ ID NO:113, SEQ ID NO:115, SEQ ID NO:117, SEQ ID NO:119, SEQ ID NO:121, SEQ ID NO:123, SEQ ID NO:125, SEQ ID NO:127, SEQ ID NO:129, SEQ ID NO:131, SEQ ID NO:133, SEQ ID NO:131, SEQ ID NO:133, over a region of at least about 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750, 800, 850, 900, 950, 1000, 1050, 1100, 1150, 1200, 1250, 1300, 1350, 1400, 1450, 1500, 1550, 1600, 1650, 1700, 1750, 1800, 1850, 1900, 1950, 2000, 2050, 2100, 2200, 2250, 2300, 2350, 2400, 2450, 2500, or more residues, encodes at least one polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity, and the sequence identities are determined by analysis with a sequence comparison algorithm or by a visual inspection.

Exemplary nucleic acids of the invention also include isolated or recombinant nucleic acids encoding a polypeptide having a sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:12, SEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:16, SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:22, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:26, SEQ ID NO:28, SEQ ID NO:30, SEQ ID NO:32, SEQ ID NO:34, SEQ ID NO:36, SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:40, SEQ ID NO:42, SEQ ID NO:44, SEQ ID NO:46, SEQ ID NO:48, SEQ ID NO:50, SEQ ID NO:52, SEQ ID NO:54, SEQ ID NO:56, SEQ ID NO:58, SEQ ID NO:60, SEQ ID NO:62, SEQ ID NO:64, SEQ ID NO:66, SEQ ID NO:68, SEQ ID NO:70, SEQ ID NO:72, SEQ ID NO:74, SEQ ID NO:76, SEQ ID NO:78, SEQ ID NO:80, SEQ ID NO:82, SEQ ID NO:84, SEQ ID NO:86, SEQ ID NO:88, SEQ ID NO:90, SEQ ID NO:92, SEQ ID NO:94, SEQ ID NO:96, SEQ ID NO:98, SEQ ID NO:100, SEQ ID NO:102, SEQ ID NO:104, SEQ ID NO:106, SEQ ID NO:108, SEQ ID NO:110, SEQ ID NO:112, SEQ ID NO:114, SEQ ID NO:116, SEQ ID NO:118, SEQ ID NO:120, SEQ ID NO:122, SEQ ID NO:124, SEQ ID NO:126, SEQ ID NO:128, SEQ ID NO:130, SEQ ID NO:132, SEQ ID NO:134, and subsequences thereof and variants thereof. In one aspect, the polypeptide has a pectate lyase activity.

In one aspect, the invention also provides pectate lyase-encoding nucleic acids with a common novelty in that they are derived from mixed cultures. The invention provides pectate lyase-encoding nucleic acids isolated from mixed cultures comprising a nucleic acid sequence of the invention, e.g., having at least about 50%, 51%, 52%, 53%, 54%, 55%, 56%, 57%, 58%, 59%, 60%, 61%, 62%, 63%, 64%, 65%, 66%, 67%, 68%, 69%, 70%, 71%, 72%, 73%, 74%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or more, or complete (100%) sequence identity to an exemplary nucleic acid of the invention, e.g., SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:13, SEQ ID NO:15, SEQ ID NO:17, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:21, SEQ ID NO:23, SEQ ID NO:25, SEQ ID NO:27, SEQ ID NO:29, SEQ ID NO:31, SEQ ID NO:33, SEQ ID NO:35, SEQ ID NO:37, SEQ ID NO:39, SEQ ID NO:41, SEQ ID NO:43, SEQ ID NO:45, SEQ ID NO:47, SEQ ID NO:49, SEQ ID NO:51, SEQ ID NO:53, SEQ ID NO:55, SEQ ID NO:57, SEQ ID NO:59, SEQ ID NO:61, SEQ ID NO:63, SEQ ID NO:65, SEQ ID NO:67, SEQ ID NO:69, SEQ ID NO:71, SEQ ID NO:73, SEQ ID NO:75, SEQ ID NO:77, SEQ ID NO:79, SEQ ID NO:81, SEQ ID NO:83, SEQ ID NO:85, SEQ ID NO:87, SEQ ID NO:89, SEQ ID NO:91, SEQ ID NO:93, SEQ ID NO:95, SEQ ID NO:97, SEQ ID NO:99, SEQ ID NO:101, SEQ ID NO:103, SEQ ID NO:105, SEQ ID NO:107, SEQ ID NO:109, SEQ ID NO:111, SEQ ID NO:113, SEQ ID NO:115, SEQ ID NO:117, SEQ ID NO:119, SEQ ID NO:121, SEQ ID NO:123, SEQ ID NO:125, SEQ ID NO:127, SEQ ID NO:129, SEQ ID NO:131, SEQ ID NO:133, SEQ ID NO:131, SEQ ID NO:133, over a region of at least about 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750, 800, 850, 900, 950, 1000, 1050, 1100, 1150, or more.

In one aspect, the invention also provides pectate lyase-encoding nucleic acids with a common novelty in that they are derived from environmental sources, e.g., mixed environmental sources. In one aspect, the invention provides pectate lyase-encoding nucleic acids isolated from environmental sources, e.g., mixed environmental sources, comprising a nucleic acid of the invention, e.g., a sequence having at least about 50%, 51%, 52%, 53%, 54%, 55%, 56%, 57%, 58%, 59%, 60%, 61%, 62%, 63%, 64%, 65%, 66%, 67%, 68%, 69%, 70%, 71%, 72%, 73%, 74%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or more, or complete (100%) sequence identity to an exemplary nucleic acid of the invention over a region of at least about 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750, 800, 850, 900, 950, 1000, 1050, 1100, 1150, 1200 or more, residues, wherein the nucleic acid encodes at least one binding or hybridization. The probe can comprise an oligonucleotide comprising at least about 10 to 50, about 20 to 60, about 30 to 70, about 40 to 80, or about 60 to 100 consecutive bases of a sequence comprising a sequence of the invention, or fragments or subsequences thereof.

The invention provides a nucleic acid probe for identifying a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity, wherein the probe comprises a nucleic acid comprising a sequence at least about 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750, 800, 850, 900, 950, 1000 or more residues having at least about 50%, 51%, 52%, 53%, 54%, 55%, 56%, 57%, 58%, 59%, 60%, 61%, 62%, 63%, 64%, 65%, 66%, 67%, 68%, 69%, 70%, 71%, 72%, 73%, 74%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or more, or complete (100%) sequence identity to a nucleic acid of the invention, wherein the sequence identities are determined by analysis with a sequence comparison algorithm or by visual inspection.

The probe can comprise an oligonucleotide comprising at least about 10 to 50, about 20 to 60, about 30 to 70, about 40 to 80, or about 60 to 100 consecutive bases of a nucleic acid sequence of the invention, or a subsequence thereof.

The invention provides an amplification primer sequence pair for amplifying a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity, wherein the primer pair is capable of amplifying a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of the invention, or fragments or subsequences thereof. One or each member of the amplification primer sequence pair can comprise an oligonucleotide comprising at least about 10 to 50 consecutive bases of the sequence.

The invention provides methods of amplifying a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity comprising amplification of a template nucleic acid with an amplification primer sequence pair capable of amplifying a nucleic acid sequence of the invention, or fragments or subsequences thereof.

The invention provides expression cassettes comprising a nucleic acid of the invention or a subsequence thereof. In one aspect, the expression cassette can comprise the nucleic acid that is operably linked to a promoter. The promoter can be a viral, bacterial, mammalian or plant promoter. In one aspect, the plant promoter can be a potato, rice, corn, wheat, tobacco or barley promoter. The promoter can be a constitutive promoter. The constitutive promoter can comprise CaMV35S. In another aspect, the promoter can be an inducible promoter. In one aspect, the promoter can be a tissue-specific promoter or an environmentally regulated or a developmentally regulated promoter. Thus, the promoter can be, e.g., a seed-specific, a leaf-specific, a root-specific, a stem-specific or an abscission-induced promoter. In one aspect, the expression cassette can further comprise a plant or plant virus expression vector.

The invention provides cloning vehicles comprising an expression cassette (e.g., a vector) of the invention or a nucleic acid of the invention. The cloning vehicle can be a viral vector, a plasmid, a phage, a phagemid, a cosmid, a fosmid, a bacteriophage or an artificial chromosome. The viral vector can comprise an adenovirus vector, a retroviral vector or an adeno-associated viral vector. The cloning vehicle can comprise a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC), a plasmid, a bacteriophage P1-derived vector (PAC), a yeast artificial chromosome (YAC), or a mammalian artificial chromosome (MAC).

The invention provides transformed cell comprising a nucleic acid of the invention or an expression cassette (e.g., a vector) of the invention, or a cloning vehicle of the invention. In one aspect, the transformed cell can be a bacterial cell, a mammalian cell, a fungal cell, a yeast cell, an insect cell or a plant cell. In one aspect, the plant cell can be a potato, wheat, rice, corn, tobacco or barley cell.

The invention provides transgenic non-human animals comprising a nucleic acid of the invention or an expression cassette (e.g., a vector) of the invention. In one aspect, the animal is a mouse.

The invention provides transgenic plants comprising a nucleic acid of the invention or an expression cassette (e.g., a vector) of the invention. The transgenic plant can be a corn plant, a potato plant, a tomato plant, a wheat plant, an oilseed plant, a rapeseed plant, a soybean plant, a rice plant, a barley plant or a tobacco plant.

The invention provides transgenic seeds comprising a nucleic acid of the invention or an expression cassette (e.g., a vector) of the invention. The transgenic seed can be a corn seed, a wheat kernel, an oilseed, a rapeseed, a soybean seed, a palm kernel, a sunflower seed, a sesame seed, a peanut or a tobacco plant seed.

The invention provides an antisense oligonucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence complementary to or capable of hybridizing under stringent conditions to a nucleic acid of the invention. The invention provides methods of inhibiting the translation of a pectate lyase message in a cell comprising administering to the cell or expressing in the cell an antisense oligonucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence complementary to or capable of hybridizing under stringent conditions to a nucleic acid of the invention.

The invention provides an isolated or recombinant polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least about 50%, 51%, 52%, 53%, 54%, 55%, 56%, 57%, 58%, 59%, 60%, 61%, 62%, 63%, 64%, 65%, 66%, 67%, 68%, 69%, 70%, 71%, 72%, 73%, 74%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or more, or complete (100%) sequence identity to an exemplary polypeptide or peptide of the invention over a region of at least about 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 225, 250, 300, 350 or more residues, or over the full length of the polypeptide, and the sequence identities are determined by analysis with a sequence comparison algorithm or by a visual inspection. Exemplary polypeptide or peptide sequences of the invention include SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:12, SEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:16, SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:22, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:26, SEQ ID NO:28, SEQ ID NO:30, SEQ ID NO:32, SEQ ID NO:34, SEQ ID NO:36, SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:40, SEQ ID NO:42, SEQ ID NO:44, SEQ ID NO:46, SEQ ID NO:48, SEQ ID NO:50, SEQ ID NO:52, SEQ ID NO:54, SEQ ID NO:56, SEQ ID NO:58, SEQ ID NO:60, SEQ ID NO:62, SEQ ID NO:64, SEQ ID NO:66, SEQ ID NO:68, SEQ ID NO:70, SEQ ID NO:72, SEQ ID NO:74, SEQ ID NO:76, SEQ ID NO:78, SEQ ID NO:80, SEQ ID NO:82, SEQ ID NO:84, SEQ ID NO:86, SEQ ID NO:88, SEQ ID NO:90, SEQ ID NO:92, SEQ ID NO:94, SEQ ID NO:96, SEQ ID NO:98, SEQ ID NO:100, SEQ ID NO:102, SEQ ID NO:104, SEQ ID NO:106, SEQ ID NO:108, SEQ ID NO:110, SEQ ID NO:112, SEQ ID NO:114, SEQ ID NO:116, SEQ ID NO:118, SEQ ID NO:120, SEQ ID NO:122, SEQ ID NO:124, SEQ ID NO:126, SEQ ID NO:128, SEQ ID NO:130, SEQ ID NO:132, SEQ ID NO:134, and subsequences thereof and variants thereof. Exemplary polypeptides also include fragments of at least about 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600 or more residues in length, or over the full length of an enzyme. A peptide of the invention can be, e.g., an immunogenic fragment, a motif (e.g., a binding site), a signal sequence, a prepro sequence or an active site. Exemplary polypeptide or peptide sequences of the invention include sequence encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention. Exemplary polypeptide or peptide sequences of the invention include polypeptides or peptides specifically bound by an antibody of the polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity, and the sequence identities are determined by analysis with a sequence comparison algorithm or by a visual inspection.

In one aspect, the sequence comparison algorithm is a BLAST version 2.2.2 algorithm where a filtering setting is set to blastall -p blastp -d “nr pataa” -F F, and all other options are set to default.

Another aspect of the invention is an isolated or recombinant nucleic acid including at least 10 consecutive bases of a nucleic acid sequence of the invention, sequences substantially identical thereto, and the sequences complementary thereto.

In one aspect, pectate lyase activity comprises catalysis of beta-elimination (trans-elimination) or hydrolysis of pectin or polygalacturonic acid (pectate). The pectate lyase activity can comprise the breakup or dissolution of plant cell walls. The pectate lyase activity can comprise beta-elimination (trans-elimination) or hydrolysis of 1,4-linked alpha-D-galacturonic acid. The pectate lyase activity can comprise catalysis of beta-elimination (trans-elimination) or hydrolysis of methyl-esterified galacturonic acid. The pectate lyase activity can be exo-acting or endo-acting. In one aspect, the pectate lyase activity is endo-acting and acts at random sites within a polymer chain to give a mixture of oligomers. In one aspect, the pectate lyase activity is exo-acting and acts from one end of a polymer chain and produces monomers or dimers. The pectate lyase activity can catalyze the random cleavage of alpha-1,4-glycosidic linkages in pectic acid (polygalacturonic acid) by trans-elimination or hydrolysis. The pectate lyase activity can comprise activity the same or similar to pectate lyase (EC 4.2.2.2), poly(1,4-alpha-D-galacturonide) lyase, polygalacturonate lyase (EC 4.2.2.2), pectin lyase (EC 4.2.2.10), polygalacturonase (EC 3.2.1.15), exo-polygalacturonase (EC 3.2.1.67), exo-polygalacturonate lyase (EC 4.2.2.9) or exo-poly-alpha-galacturonosidase (EC 3.2.1.82). The pectate lyase activity can comprise beta-elimination (trans-elimination) or hydrolysis of galactan to galactose or galactooligomers. The pectate lyase activity can comprise beta-elimination (trans-elimination) or hydrolysis of a plant fiber. The plant fiber can comprise cotton fiber, hemp fiber or flax fiber.

In one aspect, the isolated or recombinant nucleic acid encodes a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity that is thermostable. The polypeptide can retain a pectate lyase activity under conditions comprising a temperature range of between about 37° C. to about 95° C.; between about 55° C. to about 85° C., between about 70° C. to about 95° C., or, between about 90° C. to about 95° C.

In another aspect, the isolated or recombinant nucleic acid encodes a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity that is thermotolerant. The polypeptide can retain a pectate lyase activity after exposure to a temperature in the range from greater than 37° C. to about 95° C. or anywhere in the range from greater than 55° C. to about 85° C. In one aspect, the polypeptide retains a pectate lyase activity after exposure to a temperature in the range from greater than 90° C. to about 95° C. at pH 4.5.

The invention provides isolated or recombinant nucleic acids comprising a sequence that hybridizes under stringent conditions to a nucleic acid comprising a sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:13, SEQ ID NO:15, SEQ ID NO:17, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:21, SEQ ID NO:23, SEQ ID NO:25, SEQ ID NO:27, SEQ ID NO:29, SEQ ID NO:31, SEQ ID NO:33, SEQ ID NO:35, SEQ ID NO:37, SEQ ID NO:39, SEQ ID NO:41, SEQ ID NO:43, SEQ ID NO:45, SEQ ID NO:47, SEQ ID NO:49, SEQ ID NO:51, SEQ ID NO:53, SEQ ID NO:55, SEQ ID NO:57, SEQ ID NO:59, SEQ ID NO:61, SEQ ID NO:63, SEQ ID NO:65, SEQ ID NO:67, SEQ ID NO:69, SEQ ID NO:71, SEQ ID NO:73, SEQ ID NO:75, SEQ ID NO:77, SEQ ID NO:79, SEQ ID NO:81, SEQ ID NO:83, SEQ ID NO:85, SEQ ID NO:87, SEQ ID NO:89, SEQ ID NO:91, SEQ ID NO:93, SEQ ID NO:95, SEQ ID NO:97, SEQ ID NO:99, SEQ ID NO:101, SEQ ID NO:103, SEQ ID NO:105, SEQ ID NO:107, SEQ ID NO:109, SEQ ID NO:111, SEQ ID NO:113, SEQ ID NO:115, SEQ ID NO:117, SEQ ID NO:119, SEQ ID NO:121, SEQ ID NO:123, SEQ ID NO:125, SEQ ID NO:127, SEQ ID NO:129, SEQ ID NO:131, SEQ ID NO:133, SEQ ID NO:131, SEQ ID NO:133, or fragments or subsequences thereof. In one aspect, the nucleic acid encodes a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity. The nucleic acid can be at least about 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750, 800, 850, 900, 950, 1000, 1050, 1100, 1150, 1200 or more residues in length or the full length of the gene or transcript. In one aspect, the stringent conditions include a wash step comprising a wash in 0.2×SSC at a temperature of about 65° C. for about 15 minutes.

The invention provides a nucleic acid probe for identifying a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity, wherein the probe comprises at least about 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750, 800, 850, 900, 950, 1000 or more, consecutive bases of a sequence comprising a sequence of the invention, or fragments or subsequences thereof, wherein the probe identifies the nucleic acid by invention. In one aspect, the isolated or recombinant polypeptide of the invention (with or without a signal sequence) has pectate lyase activity.

Another aspect of the invention is an isolated or recombinant polypeptide or peptide including at least 10 consecutive bases of a polypeptide or peptide sequence of the invention, sequences substantially identical thereto, and the sequences complementary thereto.

In one aspect, pectate lyase activity comprises catalysis of beta-elimination (trans-elimination) or hydrolysis of pectin or polygalacturonic acid (pectate). The pectate lyase activity can comprise the breakup or dissolution of plant cell walls. The pectate lyase activity can comprise beta-elimination (trans-elimination) or hydrolysis of 1,4-linked alpha-D-galacturonic acid. The pectate lyase activity can comprise catalysis of beta-elimination (trans-elimination) or hydrolysis of methyl-esterified galacturonic acid. The pectate lyase activity can be exo-acting or endo-acting. In one aspect, the pectate lyase activity is endo-acting and acts at random sites within a polymer chain to give a mixture of oligomers. In one aspect, the pectate lyase activity is exo-acting and acts from one end of a polymer chain and produces monomers or dimers. The pectate lyase activity can catalyze the random cleavage of alpha-1,4-glycosidic linkages in pectic acid (polygalacturonic acid) by trans-elimination or hydrolysis. The pectate lyase activity can comprise activity the same or similar to pectate lyase (EC 4.2.2.2), poly(1,4-alpha-D-galacturonide) lyase, polygalacturonate lyase (EC 4.2.2.2), pectin lyase (EC 4.2.2.10), polygalacturonase (EC 3.2.1.15), exo-polygalacturonase (EC 3.2.1.67), exo-polygalacturonate lyase (EC 4.2.2.9) or exo-poly-alpha-galacturonosidase (EC 3.2.1.82). The pectate lyase activity can comprise beta-elimination (trans-elimination) or hydrolysis of galactan to galactose or galactooligomers. The pectate lyase activity can comprise beta-elimination (trans-elimination) or hydrolysis of a plant fiber. The plant fiber can comprise cotton fiber, hemp fiber or flax fiber.

In one aspect, the pectate lyase activity is thermostable. The polypeptide can retain a pectate lyase activity under conditions comprising a temperature range of between about 37° C. to about 95° C., between about 55° C. to about 85° C., between about 70° C. to about 95° C., or between about 90° C. to about 95° C. In another aspect, the pectate lyase activity can be thermotolerant. The polypeptide can retain a pectate lyase activity after exposure to a temperature in the range from greater than 37° C. to about 95° C., or in the range from greater than 55° C. to about 85° C. In one aspect, the polypeptide can retain a pectate lyase activity after exposure to a temperature in the range from greater than 90° C. to about 95° C. at pH 4.5.

In one aspect, the isolated or recombinant polypeptide can comprise the polypeptide of the invention that lacks a signal sequence. In one aspect, the isolated or recombinant polypeptide can comprise the polypeptide of the invention comprising a heterologous signal sequence, such as a heterologous pectate lyase or non-pectate lyase signal sequence.

In one aspect, the invention provides chimeric proteins comprising a first domain comprising a signal sequence of the invention (e.g., as set forth in Table 2, below) and at least a second domain. The protein can be a fusion protein. The second domain can comprise an enzyme. The enzyme can be a pectate lyase.

In one aspect, the pectate lyase activity comprises a specific activity at about 37° C. in the range from about 100 to about 1000 units per milligram of protein. In another aspect, the pectate lyase activity comprises a specific activity from about 500 to about 750 units per milligram of protein. Alternatively, the pectate lyase activity comprises a specific activity at 37° C. in the range from about 500 to about 1200 units per milligram of protein. In one aspect, the pectate lyase activity comprises a specific activity at 37° C. in the range from about 750 to about 1000 units per milligram of protein. In another aspect, the thermotolerance comprises retention of at least half of the specific activity of the pectate lyase at 37° C. after being heated to the elevated temperature. Alternatively, the thermotolerance can comprise retention of specific activity at 37° C. in the range from about 500 to about 1200 units per milligram of protein after being heated to the elevated temperature.

The invention provides the isolated or recombinant polypeptide of the invention, wherein the polypeptide comprises at least one glycosylation site. In one aspect, glycosylation can be an N-linked glycosylation. In one aspect, the polypeptide can be glycosylated after being expressed in a P. pastoris or a S. pombe.

In one aspect, the polypeptide can retain a pectate lyase activity under conditions comprising about pH 6.5, pH 6, pH 5.5, pH 5, pH 4.5 or pH 4. In another aspect, the polypeptide can retain a pectate lyase activity under conditions comprising about pH 7, pH 7.5 pH 8.0, pH 8.5, pH 9, pH 9.5, pH 10, pH 10.5 or pH 11.

In one aspect, the isolated or recombinant polypeptide can comprise the polypeptide of the invention that lacks a signal sequence and/or a prepro domain. In one aspect, the isolated or recombinant polypeptide can comprise the polypeptide of the invention comprising a heterologous signal sequence and/or prepro domain, such as a heterologous pectate lyase signal sequence.

In one aspect, the invention provides a signal sequence comprising a peptide comprising/consisting of a sequence as set forth in residues 1 to 12, 1 to 13, 1 to 14, 1 to 15, 1 to 16, 1 to 17, 1 to 18, 1 to 19, 1 to 20, 1 to 21, 1 to 22, 1 to 23, 1 to 24, 1 to 25, 1 to 26, 1 to 27, 1 to 28, 1 to 28, 1 to 30, 1 to 31, 1 to 32, 1 to 33, 1 to 34, 1 to 35, 1 to 36, 1 to 37, 1 to 38, 1 to 39, 1 to 40, 1 to 41, 1 to 42, 1 to 43, 1 to 44 of a polypeptide of the invention. In one aspect, the invention provides chimeric proteins comprising a first domain comprising a signal sequence of the invention and at least a second domain. The protein can be a fusion protein. The second domain can comprise an enzyme. The enzyme can be a pectate lyase, e.g., an enzyme of the invention.

The invention provides chimeric polypeptides comprising at least a first domain comprising signal peptide (SP), a prepro domain, a catalytic domain (CD), or an active site of a pectate lyase of the invention and at least a second domain comprising a heterologous polypeptide or peptide, wherein the heterologous polypeptide or peptide is not naturally associated with the signal peptide (SP), prepro domain or catalytic domain (CD). In one aspect, the heterologous polypeptide or peptide is not a pectate lyase. The heterologous polypeptide or peptide can be amino terminal to, carboxy terminal to or on both ends of the signal peptide (SP), prepro domain or catalytic domain (CD).

The invention provides protein preparations comprising a polypeptide of the invention, wherein the protein preparation comprises a liquid, a solid or a gel.

The invention provides heterodimers comprising a polypeptide of the invention and a second domain. In one aspect, the second domain can be a polypeptide and the heterodimer can be a fusion protein. In one aspect, the second domain can be an epitope or a tag. In one aspect, the invention provides homodimers comprising a polypeptide of the invention.

The invention provides immobilized polypeptides having a pectate lyase activity, wherein the polypeptide comprises a polypeptide of the invention, a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention, or a polypeptide comprising a polypeptide of the invention and a second domain. In one aspect, the polypeptide can be immobilized on a cell, a metal, a resin, a polymer, a ceramic, a glass, a microelectrode, a graphitic particle, a bead, a gel, a plate, an array or a capillary tube.

The invention provides arrays comprising an immobilized nucleic acid of the invention. The invention provides arrays comprising an antibody of the invention.

The invention provides isolated or recombinant antibodies that specifically bind to a polypeptide of the invention or to a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention. The antibody can be a monoclonal or a polyclonal antibody. The invention provides hybridomas comprising an antibody of the invention, e.g., an antibody that specifically binds to a polypeptide of the invention or to a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention.

The invention provides food supplements for an animal comprising a polypeptide of the invention, e.g., a polypeptide encoded by the nucleic acid of the invention. In one aspect, the polypeptide in the food supplement can be glycosylated. The invention provides edible enzyme delivery matrices comprising a polypeptide of the invention, e.g., a polypeptide encoded by the nucleic acid of the invention. In one aspect, the delivery matrix comprises a pellet. In one aspect, the polypeptide can be glycosylated. In one aspect, the pectate lyase activity is thermotolerant. In another aspect, the pectate lyase activity is thermostable.

The invention provides method of isolating or identifying a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity comprising the steps of: (a) providing an antibody of the invention; (b) providing a sample comprising polypeptides; and (c) contacting the sample of step (b) with the antibody of step (a) under conditions wherein the antibody can specifically bind to the polypeptide, thereby isolating or identifying a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity.

The invention provides methods of making an anti-pectate lyase antibody comprising administering to a non-human animal a nucleic acid of the invention or a polypeptide of the invention or subsequences thereof in an amount sufficient to generate a humoral immune response, thereby making an anti-pectate lyase antibody. The invention provides methods of making an anti-pectate lyase immune comprising administering to a non-human animal a nucleic acid of the invention or a polypeptide of the invention or subsequences thereof in an amount sufficient to generate an immune response.

The invention provides methods of producing a recombinant polypeptide comprising the steps of: (a) providing a nucleic acid of the invention operably linked to a promoter; and (b) expressing the nucleic acid of step (a) under conditions that allow expression of the polypeptide, thereby producing a recombinant polypeptide. In one aspect, the method can further comprise transforming a host cell with the nucleic acid of step (a) followed by expressing the nucleic acid of step (a), thereby producing a recombinant polypeptide in a transformed cell.

The invention provides methods for identifying a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity comprising the following steps: (a) providing a polypeptide of the invention; or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) providing a pectate lyase substrate; and (c) contacting the polypeptide or a fragment or variant thereof of step (a) with the substrate of step (b) and detecting a decrease in the amount of substrate or an increase in the amount of a reaction product, wherein a decrease in the amount of the substrate or an increase in the amount of the reaction product detects a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity.

The invention provides methods for identifying a pectate lyase substrate comprising the following steps: (a) providing a polypeptide of the invention; or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) providing a test substrate; and (c) contacting the polypeptide of step (a) with the test substrate of step (b) and detecting a decrease in the amount of substrate or an increase in the amount of reaction product, wherein a decrease in the amount of the substrate or an increase in the amount of a reaction product identifies the test substrate as a pectate lyase substrate.

The invention provides methods of determining whether a test compound specifically binds to a polypeptide comprising the following steps: (a) expressing a nucleic acid or a vector comprising the nucleic acid under conditions permissive for translation of the nucleic acid to a polypeptide, wherein the nucleic acid comprises a nucleic acid of the invention, or, providing a polypeptide of the invention; (b) providing a test compound; (c) contacting the polypeptide with the test compound; and (d) determining whether the test compound of step (b) specifically binds to the polypeptide.

The invention provides methods for identifying a modulator of a pectate lyase activity comprising the following steps: (a) providing a polypeptide of the invention or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) providing a test compound; (c) contacting the polypeptide of step (a) with the test compound of step (b) and measuring an activity of the pectate lyase, wherein a change in the pectate lyase activity measured in the presence of the test compound compared to the activity in the absence of the test compound provides a determination that the test compound modulates the pectate lyase activity. In one aspect, the pectate lyase activity can be measured by providing a pectate lyase substrate and detecting a decrease in the amount of the substrate or an increase in the amount of a reaction product, or, an increase in the amount of the substrate or a decrease in the amount of a reaction product. A decrease in the amount of the substrate or an increase in the amount of the reaction product with the test compound as compared to the amount of substrate or reaction product without the test compound identifies the test compound as an activator of pectate lyase activity. An increase in the amount of the substrate or a decrease in the amount of the reaction product with the test compound as compared to the amount of substrate or reaction product without the test compound identifies the test compound as an inhibitor of pectate lyase activity.

The invention provides computer systems comprising a processor and a data storage device wherein said data storage device has stored thereon a polypeptide sequence or a nucleic acid sequence of the invention (e.g., a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention). In one aspect, the computer system can further comprise a sequence comparison algorithm and a data storage device having at least one reference sequence stored thereon. In another aspect, the sequence comparison algorithm comprises a computer program that indicates polymorphisms. In one aspect, the computer system can further comprise an identifier that identifies one or more features in said sequence. The invention provides computer readable media having stored thereon a polypeptide sequence or a nucleic acid sequence of the invention. The invention provides methods for identifying a feature in a sequence comprising the steps of: (a) reading the sequence using a computer program which identifies one or more features in a sequence, wherein the sequence comprises a polypeptide sequence or a nucleic acid sequence of the invention; and (b) identifying one or more features in the sequence with the computer program. The invention provides methods for comparing a first sequence to a second sequence comprising the steps of: (a) reading the first sequence and the second sequence through use of a computer program which compares sequences, wherein the first sequence comprises a polypeptide sequence or a nucleic acid sequence of the invention; and (b) determining differences between the first sequence and the second sequence with the computer program. The step of determining differences between the first sequence and the second sequence can further comprise the step of identifying polymorphisms. In one aspect, the method can further comprise an identifier that identifies one or more features in a sequence. In another aspect, the method can comprise reading the first sequence using a computer program and identifying one or more features in the sequence.

The invention provides methods for isolating or recovering a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity from an environmental sample comprising the steps of: (a) providing an amplification primer sequence pair for amplifying a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity, wherein the primer pair is capable of amplifying a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) isolating a nucleic acid from the environmental sample or treating the environmental sample such that nucleic acid in the sample is accessible for hybridization to the amplification primer pair; and, (c) combining the nucleic acid of step (b) with the amplification primer pair of step (a) and amplifying nucleic acid from the environmental sample, thereby isolating or recovering a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity from an environmental sample. One or each member of the amplification primer sequence pair can comprise an oligonucleotide comprising at least about 10 to 50 consecutive bases of a sequence of the invention.

The invention provides methods for isolating or recovering a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity from an environmental sample comprising the steps of: (a) providing a polynucleotide probe comprising a nucleic acid of the invention or a subsequence thereof; (b) isolating a nucleic acid from the environmental sample or treating the environmental sample such that nucleic acid in the sample is accessible for hybridization to a polynucleotide probe of step (a); (c) combining the isolated nucleic acid or the treated environmental sample of step (b) with the polynucleotide probe of step (a); and (d) isolating a nucleic acid that specifically hybridizes with the polynucleotide probe of step (a), thereby isolating or recovering a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity from an environmental sample. The environmental sample can comprise a water sample, a liquid sample, a soil sample, an air sample or a biological sample. In one aspect, the biological sample can be derived from a bacterial cell, a protozoan cell, an insect cell, a yeast cell, a plant cell, a fungal cell or a mammalian cell.

The invention provides methods of generating a variant of a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity comprising the steps of: (a) providing a template nucleic acid comprising a nucleic acid of the invention; and (b) modifying, deleting or adding one or more nucleotides in the template sequence, or a combination thereof, to generate a variant of the template nucleic acid. In one aspect, the method can further comprise expressing the variant nucleic acid to generate a variant pectate lyase polypeptide. The modifications, additions or deletions can be introduced by a method comprising error-prone PCR, shuffling, oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis, assembly PCR, sexual PCR mutagenesis, in vivo mutagenesis, cassette mutagenesis, recursive ensemble mutagenesis, exponential ensemble mutagenesis, site-specific mutagenesis, gene reassembly, gene site saturation mutagenesis (GSSM™), synthetic ligation reassembly (SLR) or a combination thereof. In another aspect, the modifications, additions or deletions are introduced by a method comprising recombination, recursive sequence recombination, phosphothioate-modified DNA mutagenesis, uracil-containing template mutagenesis, gapped duplex mutagenesis, point mismatch repair mutagenesis, repair-deficient host strain mutagenesis, chemical mutagenesis, radiogenic mutagenesis, deletion mutagenesis, restriction-selection mutagenesis, restriction-purification mutagenesis, artificial gene synthesis, ensemble mutagenesis, chimeric nucleic acid multimer creation and a combination thereof.

In one aspect, the method can be iteratively repeated until a pectate lyase having an altered or different activity or an altered or different stability from that of a polypeptide encoded by the template nucleic acid is produced. In one aspect, the variant pectate lyase polypeptide is thermotolerant, and retains some activity after being exposed to an elevated temperature. In another aspect, the variant pectate lyase polypeptide has increased glycosylation as compared to the pectate lyase encoded by a template nucleic acid. Alternatively, the variant pectate lyase polypeptide has a pectate lyase activity under a high temperature, wherein the pectate lyase encoded by the template nucleic acid is not active under the high temperature. In one aspect, the method can be iteratively repeated until a pectate lyase coding sequence having an altered codon usage from that of the template nucleic acid is produced. In another aspect, the method can be iteratively repeated until a pectate lyase gene having higher or lower level of message expression or stability from that of the template nucleic acid is produced.

The invention provides methods for modifying codons in a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity to increase its expression in a host cell, the method comprising the following steps: (a) providing a nucleic acid of the invention encoding a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity; and, (b) identifying a non-preferred or a less preferred codon in the nucleic acid of step (a) and replacing it with a preferred or neutrally used codon encoding the same amino acid as the replaced codon, wherein a preferred codon is a codon over-represented in coding sequences in genes in the host cell and a non-preferred or less preferred codon is a codon under-represented in coding sequences in genes in the host cell, thereby modifying the nucleic acid to increase its expression in a host cell.

The invention provides methods for modifying codons in a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity; the method comprising the following steps: (a) providing a nucleic acid of the invention; and, (b) identifying a codon in the nucleic acid of step (a) and replacing it with a different codon encoding the same amino acid as the replaced codon, thereby modifying codons in a nucleic acid encoding a pectate lyase.

The invention provides methods for modifying codons in a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity to increase its expression in a host cell, the method comprising the following steps: (a) providing a nucleic acid of the invention encoding a pectate lyase polypeptide; and, (b) identifying a non-preferred or a less preferred codon in the nucleic acid of step (a) and replacing it with a preferred or neutrally used codon encoding the same amino acid as the replaced codon, wherein a preferred codon is a codon over-represented in coding sequences in genes in the host cell and a non-preferred or less preferred codon is a codon under-represented in coding sequences in genes in the host cell, thereby modifying the nucleic acid to increase its expression in a host cell.

The invention provides methods for modifying a codon in a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity to decrease its expression in a host cell, the method comprising the following steps: (a) providing a nucleic acid of the invention; and (b) identifying at least one preferred codon in the nucleic acid of step (a) and replacing it with a non-preferred or less preferred codon encoding the same amino acid as the replaced codon, wherein a preferred codon is a codon over-represented in coding sequences in genes in a host cell and a non-preferred or less preferred codon is a codon under-represented in coding sequences in genes in the host cell, thereby modifying the nucleic acid to decrease its expression in a host cell. In one aspect, the host cell can be a bacterial cell, a fungal cell, an insect cell, a yeast cell, a plant cell or a mammalian cell.

The invention provides methods for producing a library of nucleic acids encoding a plurality of modified pectate lyase active sites or substrate binding sites, wherein the modified active sites or substrate binding sites are derived from a first nucleic acid comprising a sequence encoding a first active site or a first substrate binding site the method comprising the following steps: (a) providing a first nucleic acid encoding a first active site or first substrate binding site, wherein the first nucleic acid sequence comprises a sequence that hybridizes under stringent conditions to a nucleic acid of the invention, and the nucleic acid encodes a pectate lyase active site or a pectate lyase substrate binding site; (b) providing a set of mutagenic oligonucleotides that encode naturally-occurring amino acid variants at a plurality of targeted codons in the first nucleic acid; and, (c) using the set of mutagenic oligonucleotides to generate a set of active site-encoding or substrate binding site-encoding variant nucleic acids encoding a range of amino acid variations at each amino acid codon that was mutagenized, thereby producing a library of nucleic acids encoding a plurality of modified pectate lyase active sites or substrate binding sites. In one aspect, the method comprises mutagenizing the first nucleic acid of step (a) by a method comprising an optimized directed evolution system, gene site-saturation mutagenesis (GSSM™), synthetic ligation reassembly (SLR), error-prone PCR, shuffling, oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis, assembly PCR, sexual PCR mutagenesis, in vivo mutagenesis, cassette mutagenesis, recursive ensemble mutagenesis, exponential ensemble mutagenesis, site-specific mutagenesis, gene reassembly, gene site saturation mutagenesis (GSSM™), synthetic ligation reassembly (SLR) and a combination thereof. In another aspect, the method comprises mutagenizing the first nucleic acid of step (a) or variants by a method comprising recombination, recursive sequence recombination, phosphothioate-modified DNA mutagenesis, uracil-containing template mutagenesis, gapped duplex mutagenesis, point mismatch repair mutagenesis, repair-deficient host strain mutagenesis, chemical mutagenesis, radiogenic mutagenesis, deletion mutagenesis, restriction-selection mutagenesis, restriction-purification mutagenesis, artificial gene synthesis, ensemble mutagenesis, chimeric nucleic acid multimer creation and a combination thereof.

The invention provides methods for making a small molecule comprising the following steps: (a) providing a plurality of biosynthetic enzymes capable of synthesizing or modifying a small molecule, wherein one of the enzymes comprises a pectate lyase enzyme encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) providing a substrate for at least one of the enzymes of step (a); and (c) reacting the substrate of step (b) with the enzymes under conditions that facilitate a plurality of biocatalytic reactions to generate a small molecule by a series of biocatalytic reactions. The invention provides methods for modifying a small molecule comprising the following steps: (a) providing a pectate lyase enzyme, wherein the enzyme comprises a polypeptide of the invention, or, a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention, or a subsequence thereof; (b) providing a small molecule; and (c) reacting the enzyme of step (a) with the small molecule of step (b) under conditions that facilitate an enzymatic reaction catalyzed by the pectate lyase enzyme, thereby modifying a small molecule by a pectate lyase enzymatic reaction. In one aspect, the method can comprise a plurality of small molecule substrates for the enzyme of step (a), thereby generating a library of modified small molecules produced by at least one enzymatic reaction catalyzed by the pectate lyase enzyme. In one aspect, the method can comprise a plurality of additional enzymes under conditions that facilitate a plurality of biocatalytic reactions by the enzymes to form a library of modified small molecules produced by the plurality of enzymatic reactions. In another aspect, the method can further comprise the step of testing the library to determine if a particular modified small molecule that exhibits a desired activity is present within the library. The step of testing the library can further comprise the steps of systematically eliminating all but one of the biocatalytic reactions used to produce a portion of the plurality of the modified small molecules within the library by testing the portion of the modified small molecule for the presence or absence of the particular modified small molecule with a desired activity, and identifying at least one specific biocatalytic reaction that produces the particular modified small molecule of desired activity.

The invention provides methods for determining a functional fragment of a pectate lyase enzyme comprising the steps of: (a) providing a pectate lyase enzyme, wherein the enzyme comprises a polypeptide of the invention, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention, or a subsequence thereof; and (b) deleting a plurality of amino acid residues from the sequence of step (a) and testing the remaining subsequence for a pectate lyase activity, thereby determining a functional fragment of a pectate lyase enzyme. In one aspect, the pectate lyase activity is measured by providing a pectate lyase substrate and detecting a decrease in the amount of the substrate or an increase in the amount of a reaction product.

The invention provides methods for whole cell engineering of new or modified phenotypes by using real-time metabolic flux analysis, the method comprising the following steps: (a) making a modified cell by modifying the genetic composition of a cell, wherein the genetic composition is modified by addition to the cell of a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) culturing the modified cell to generate a plurality of modified cells; (c) measuring at least one metabolic parameter of the cell by monitoring the cell culture of step (b) in real time; and, (d) analyzing the data of step (c) to determine if the measured parameter differs from a comparable measurement in an unmodified cell under similar conditions, thereby identifying an engineered phenotype in the cell using real-time metabolic flux analysis. In one aspect, the genetic composition of the cell can be modified by a method comprising deletion of a sequence or modification of a sequence in the cell, or, knocking out the expression of a gene. In one aspect, the method can further comprise selecting a cell comprising a newly engineered phenotype. In another aspect, the method can comprise culturing the selected cell, thereby generating a new cell strain comprising a newly engineered phenotype.

The invention provides methods of increasing thermotolerance or thermostability of a pectate lyase polypeptide, the method comprising glycosylating a pectate lyase polypeptide, wherein the polypeptide comprises at least thirty contiguous amino acids of a polypeptide of the invention; or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid sequence of the invention, thereby increasing the thermotolerance or thermostability of the pectate lyase polypeptide. In one aspect, the pectate lyase specific activity can be thermostable or thermotolerant at a temperature in the range from greater than about 37° C. to about 95° C.

The invention provides methods for overexpressing a recombinant pectate lyase polypeptide in a cell comprising expressing a vector comprising a nucleic acid comprising a nucleic acid of the invention or a nucleic acid sequence of the invention, wherein the sequence identities are determined by analysis with a sequence comparison algorithm or by visual inspection, wherein overexpression is effected by use of a high activity promoter, a dicistronic vector or by gene amplification of the vector.

The invention provides methods of making a transgenic plant comprising the following steps: (a) introducing a heterologous nucleic acid sequence into the cell, wherein the heterologous nucleic sequence comprises a nucleic acid sequence of the invention, thereby producing a transformed plant cell; and (b) producing a transgenic plant from the transformed cell. In one aspect, the step (a) can further comprise introducing the heterologous nucleic acid sequence by electroporation or microinjection of plant cell protoplasts. In another aspect, the step (a) can further comprise introducing the heterologous nucleic acid sequence directly to plant tissue by DNA particle bombardment. Alternatively, the step (a) can further comprise introducing the heterologous nucleic acid sequence into the plant cell DNA using an Agrobacterium tumefaciens host. In one aspect, the plant cell can be a potato, corn, rice, wheat, tobacco, or barley cell.

The invention provides methods of expressing a heterologous nucleic acid sequence in a plant cell comprising the following steps: (a) transforming the plant cell with a heterologous nucleic acid sequence operably linked to a promoter, wherein the heterologous nucleic sequence comprises a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) growing the plant under conditions wherein the heterologous nucleic acids sequence is expressed in the plant cell.

The invention provides isolated or recombinant signal sequence comprising or consisting of signal peptides (SP) as set forth in Table 2. The invention provides isolated or recombinant signal sequences consisting of a sequence as set forth in residues 1 to 15, 1 to 16, 1 to 17, 1 to 18, 1 to 19, 1 to 20, 1 to 21, 1 to 22, 1 to 23, 1 to 24, 1 to 25, 1 to 26, 1 to 27, 1 to 28, 1 to 28, 1 to 30, 1 to 31, 1 to 32, 1 to 33, 1 to 34, 1 to 35, 1 to 36, 1 to 37, 1 to 38, 1 to 39, 1 to 40, 1 to 41, 1 to 42, 1 to 43, and/or 1 to 44, of SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:12, SEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:16, SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:22, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:26, SEQ ID NO:28, SEQ ID NO:30, SEQ ID NO:32, SEQ ID NO:34, SEQ ID NO:36, SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:40, SEQ ID NO:42, SEQ ID NO:44, SEQ ID NO:46, SEQ ID NO:48, SEQ ID NO:50, SEQ ID NO:52, SEQ ID NO:54, SEQ ID NO:56, SEQ ID NO:58, SEQ ID NO:60, SEQ ID NO:62, SEQ ID NO:64, SEQ ID NO:66, SEQ ID NO:68, SEQ ID NO:70, SEQ ID NO:72, SEQ ID NO:74, SEQ ID NO:76, SEQ ID NO:78, SEQ ID NO:80, SEQ ID NO:82, SEQ ID NO:84, SEQ ID NO:86, SEQ ID NO:88, SEQ ID NO:90, SEQ ID NO:92, SEQ ID NO:94, SEQ ID NO:96, SEQ ID NO:98, SEQ ID NO:100, SEQ ID NO:102, SEQ ID NO:104, SEQ ID NO:106, SEQ ID NO:108, SEQ ID NO:110, SEQ ID NO:112, SEQ ID NO:114, SEQ ID NO:116, SEQ ID NO:118, SEQ ID NO:120, SEQ ID NO:122, SEQ ID NO:124, SEQ ID NO:126, SEQ ID NO:128 or SEQ ID NO:130, SEQ ID NO:132, SEQ ID NO:134.

The invention provides isolated or recombinant peptides consisting of a pectin methyl esterase domain (PED) or a catalytic domain (CD) as set forth in Table 2.

The invention provides chimeric polypeptides comprising at least a first domain comprising signal peptide (SP), a pectin methyl esterase domain (PED) or a catalytic domain (CD) as set forth in Table 2 and at least a second domain comprising a heterologous polypeptide or peptide, wherein the heterologous polypeptide or peptide is not naturally associated with the signal peptide (SP), pectin methyl esterase domain (PED) or catalytic domain (CD). In one aspect, the heterologous polypeptide or peptide is not a pectate lyase. The heterologous polypeptide or peptide can be amino terminal to, carboxy terminal to or on both ends of the signal peptide (SP), pectin methyl esterase domain (PED) or catalytic domain (CD).

The invention provides isolated or recombinant nucleic acids encoding a chimeric polypeptide, wherein the chimeric polypeptide comprises at least a first domain comprising signal peptide (SP), a pectin methyl esterase domain (PED) or a catalytic domain (CD) as set forth in Table 2 and at least a second domain comprising a heterologous polypeptide or peptide, wherein the heterologous polypeptide or peptide is not naturally associated with the signal peptide (SP), pectin methyl esterase domain (PED) or catalytic domain (CD).

The invention provides method of increasing thermotolerance or thermostability of a pectate lyase, the method comprising glycosylating a pectate lyase, wherein the polypeptide comprises at least thirty contiguous amino acids of a polypeptide of the invention, thereby increasing the thermotolerance or thermostability of the pectate lyase.

The invention provides methods for overexpressing a recombinant pectate lyase in a cell comprising expressing a vector comprising a nucleic acid of the invention, wherein overexpression is effected by use of a high activity promoter, a dicistronic vector or by gene amplification of the vector.

The invention provides methods of making a transgenic plant comprising the following steps: (a) introducing a heterologous nucleic acid sequence into the cell, wherein the heterologous nucleic sequence comprises a nucleic acid of the invention, thereby producing a transformed plant cell; (b) producing a transgenic plant from the transformed cell. In one aspect, step (a) further comprises introducing the heterologous nucleic acid sequence by electroporation or microinjection of plant cell protoplasts. Step (a) can comprise introducing the heterologous nucleic acid sequence directly to plant tissue by DNA particle bombardment or by using an Agrobacterium tumefaciens host.

The invention provides methods of expressing a heterologous nucleic acid sequence in a plant cell comprising the following steps: (a) transforming the plant cell with a heterologous nucleic acid sequence operably linked to a promoter, wherein the heterologous nucleic sequence comprises a sequence of the invention; (b) growing the plant under conditions wherein the heterologous nucleic acids sequence is expressed in the plant cell.

The invention provides methods for hydrolyzing, breaking up or disrupting a pectin- or pectate (polygalacturonic acid)-comprising composition comprising the following steps: (a) providing a polypeptide of the invention having a pectate lyase activity, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) providing a composition comprising a pectin or a pectate; and (c) contacting the polypeptide of step (a) with the composition of step (b) under conditions wherein the polypeptide hydrolyzes, breaks up or disrupts the pectin- or pectate-comprising composition. In one aspect, the composition comprises a plant cell wall or a bacterial cell wall. The plant can be a cotton plant, a hemp plant or a flax plant.

The invention provides methods for liquefying or removing a pectin or pectate (polygalacturonic acid) from a composition comprising the following steps: (a) providing a polypeptide of the invention having a pectate lyase activity, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) providing a composition comprising a pectin or pectate (polygalacturonic acid); and (c) contacting the polypeptide of step (a) with the composition of step (b) under conditions wherein the polypeptide removes or liquefies the pectin or pectate (polygalacturonic acid).

The invention provides detergent compositions comprising a polypeptide of the invention, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention, wherein the polypeptide has a pectate lyase activity. In one aspect, the pectate lyase is a nonsurface-active pectate lyase or a surface-active pectate lyase. The pectate lyase can be formulated in a non-aqueous liquid composition, a cast solid, a granular form, a particulate form, a compressed tablet, a gel form, a paste or a slurry form.

The invention provides methods for washing an object comprising the following steps: (a) providing a composition comprising a polypeptide of the invention having a pectate lyase activity; (b) providing an object; and (c) contacting the polypeptide of step (a) and the object of step (b) under conditions wherein the composition can wash the object.

The invention provides textiles or fabrics comprising a polypeptide of the invention, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention. The invention provides methods for fiber, thread, textile or fabric scouring comprising the following steps: (a) providing a polypeptide of the invention having a pectate lyase activity, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) providing a fiber, a thread, a textile or a fabric; and (c) contacting the polypeptide of step (a) and the textile or fabric of step (b) under conditions wherein the pectate lyase can scour the fiber, thread, textile or fabric. In one aspect, the pectate lyase is an alkaline active and thermostable pectate lyase. The desizing and scouring treatments can be combined in a single bath. The method can further comprise addition of an alkaline and thermostable amylase in the contacting of step (c). The desizing or scouring treatments can comprise conditions of between about pH 8.5 to pH 10.0 and temperatures of at about 40° C. The method can further comprise addition of a bleaching step. The desizing, scouring and bleaching treatments can be done simultaneously or sequentially in a single-bath container. The bleaching treatment can comprise hydrogen peroxide or at least one peroxy compound that can generate hydrogen peroxide when dissolved in water, or combinations thereof, and at least one bleach activator. The fiber, thread, textile or fabric can comprise a cellulosic material. The cellulosic material can comprise a crude fiber, a yarn, a woven or knit textile, a cotton, a linen, a flax, a ramie, a rayon, a hemp, a jute or a blend of natural or synthetic fibers.

The invention provides feeds or foods comprising a polypeptide of the invention, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention. The invention provides methods improving the extraction of oil from an oil-rich plant material comprising the following steps: (a) providing a polypeptide of the invention having a pectate lyase activity, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) providing an oil-rich plant material; and (c) contacting the polypeptide of step (a) and the oil-rich plant material. In one aspect, the oil-rich plant material comprises an oil-rich seed. The oil can be a soybean oil, an olive oil, a rapeseed (canola) oil or a sunflower oil.

The invention provides methods for preparing a fruit or vegetable juice, syrup, puree or extract comprising the following steps: (a) providing a polypeptide of the invention having a pectate lyase activity, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) providing a composition or a liquid comprising a fruit or vegetable material; and (c) contacting the polypeptide of step (a) and the composition, thereby preparing the fruit or vegetable juice, syrup, puree or extract.

The invention provides papers or paper products or paper pulps comprising a pectate lyase of the invention, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention. The invention provides methods for treating a paper or a paper or wood pulp comprising the following steps: (a) providing a polypeptide of the invention having a pectate lyase activity, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) providing a composition comprising a paper or a paper or wood pulp; and (c) contacting the polypeptide of step (a) and the composition of step (b) under conditions wherein the pectate lyase can treat the paper or paper or wood pulp.

The invention provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising a polypeptide of the invention, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention. The pharmaceutical composition can act as a digestive aid.

The invention provides oral care products comprising a polypeptide of the invention, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention. The oral care product can comprise a toothpaste, a dental cream, a gel or a tooth powder, an odontic, a mouth wash, a pre- or post brushing rinse formulation, a chewing gum, a lozenge or a candy.

The invention provides isolated or recombinant nucleic acids having a sequence comprising a sequence modification of SEQ ID NO:131, wherein the modification of SEQ ID NO:131 comprises one or more of the following changes: the nucleotides at residues 352 to 354 are CAT or CAC, the nucleotides at residues 544 to 546 are GTG, GTT, GTC, or GTA, the nucleotides at residues 568 to 570 are TTG, TTA, CTT, CTC, CTA, or CTG, the nucleotides at residues 589 to 591 are GGT, GGC, GGA, or GGG, the nucleotides at residues 622 to 624 are AAG or AAA, the nucleotides at residues 655 to 657 are ATG, the nucleotides at residues 667 to 669 are GAG or GAA, the nucleotides at residues 763 to 765 are CGG, CGT, CGC, CGA, AGA, AGG, the nucleotides at residues 787 to 789 are AAG or AAA, the nucleotides at residues 823 to 825 are TAT or TAC, the nucleotides at residues 925 to 927 are TGG, or the nucleotides at residues 934 to 936 are GTT, GTG, GTC, or GTA. In one aspect, the nucleic acid encodes a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity, which can be thermotolerant or thermostable.

The invention provides isolated or recombinant nucleic acids having a sequence comprising a sequence modification of a nucleic acid of the invention (e.g., SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:13, SEQ ID NO:15, SEQ ID NO:17, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:21, SEQ ID NO:23, SEQ ID NO:25, SEQ ID NO:27, SEQ ID NO:29, SEQ ID NO:31, SEQ ID NO:33, SEQ ID NO:35, SEQ ID NO:37, SEQ ID NO:39, SEQ ID NO:41, SEQ ID NO:43, SEQ ID NO:45, SEQ ID NO:47, SEQ ID NO:49, SEQ ID NO:51, SEQ ID NO:53, SEQ ID NO:55, SEQ ID NO:57, SEQ ID NO:59, SEQ ID NO:61, SEQ ID NO:63, SEQ ID NO:65, SEQ ID NO:67, SEQ ID NO:69, SEQ ID NO:71, SEQ ID NO:73, SEQ ID NO:75, SEQ ID NO:77, SEQ ID NO:79, SEQ ID NO:81, SEQ ID NO:83, SEQ ID NO:85, SEQ ID NO:87, SEQ ID NO:89, SEQ ID NO:91, SEQ ID NO:93, SEQ ID NO:95, SEQ ID NO:97, SEQ ID NO:99, SEQ ID NO:101, SEQ ID NO:103, SEQ ID NO:105, SEQ ID NO:107, SEQ ID NO:109, SEQ ID NO:111, SEQ ID NO:113, SEQ ID NO:115, SEQ ID NO:117, SEQ ID NO:119, SEQ ID NO:121, SEQ ID NO:123, SEQ ID NO:125, SEQ ID NO:127, SEQ ID NO:129), wherein the sequence modification comprises one or more of the following changes: the nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 352 to 354 of SEQ ID NO:131 are changed to CAT or CAC, the nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 544 to 546 of SEQ ID NO:131 are changed to GTG, GTT, GTC, or GTA, the nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 568 to 570 of SEQ ID NO:131 are changed to TTG, TTA, CTT, CTC, CTA, or CTG, the nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 589 to 591 of SEQ ID NO:131 are changed to GGT, GGC, GGA, or GGG, the nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 622 to 624 of SEQ ID NO:131 are changed to AAG or AAA, the nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 655 to 657 of SEQ ID NO:131 are changed to ATG, the nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 667 to 669 of SEQ ID NO:131 are GAG or GAA, the nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 763 to 765 of SEQ ID NO:131 are changed to CGG, CGT, CGC, CGA, AGA, AGG, the nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 787 to 789 of SEQ ID NO:131 are changed to AAG or AAA, the nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 823 to 825 of SEQ ID NO:131 are changed to TAT or TAC, the nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 925 to 927 of SEQ ID NO:131 are changed to TGG, or the nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 934 to 936 of SEQ ID NO:131 are changed to GTT, GTG, GTC, or GTA. In one aspect, the nucleic acid encodes a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity, which can be thermotolerant or thermostable.

The invention provides isolated or recombinant polypeptides having a sequence comprising a sequence modification of SEQ ID NO:132, wherein the modification of SEQ ID NO:132 comprises one or more of the following mutations: the alanine at amino acid position 118 is histidine, the alanine at amino acid position 182 is valine, the threonine at amino acid position 190 is leucine, the alanine at amino acid position 197 is glycine, the serine at amino acid position 208 is lysine, the threonine at amino acid position 219 is methionine, the threonine at amino acid position 223 is glutamic acid, the serine at amino acid position 255 is arginine, the serine at amino acid position 263 is lysine, the asparagine at amino acid position 275 is tyrosine, the tyrosine at amino acid position 309 is tryptophan, or, the serine at amino acid position 312 is valine. In one aspect, the polypeptide has a pectate lyase activity, which can be thermotolerant or thermostable.

The invention provides isolated or recombinant polypeptides having a sequence comprising a sequence modification of a polypeptide of the invention (e.g., SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:12, SEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:16, SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:22, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:26, SEQ ID NO:28, SEQ ID NO:30, SEQ ID NO:32, SEQ ID NO:34, SEQ ID NO:36, SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:40, SEQ ID NO:42, SEQ ID NO:44, SEQ ID NO:46, SEQ ID NO:48, SEQ ID NO:50, SEQ ID NO:52, SEQ ID NO:54, SEQ ID NO:56, SEQ ID NO:58, SEQ ID NO:60, SEQ ID NO:62, SEQ ID NO:64, SEQ ID NO:66, SEQ ID NO:68, SEQ ID NO:70, SEQ ID NO:72, SEQ ID NO:74, SEQ ID NO:76, SEQ ID NO:78, SEQ ID NO:80, SEQ ID NO:82, SEQ ID NO:84, SEQ ID NO:86, SEQ ID NO:88, SEQ ID NO:90, SEQ ID NO:92, SEQ ID NO:94, SEQ ID NO:96, SEQ ID NO:98, SEQ ID NO:100, SEQ ID NO:102, SEQ ID NO:104, SEQ ID NO:106, SEQ ID NO:108, SEQ ID NO:110, SEQ ID NO:112, SEQ ID NO:114, SEQ ID NO:116, SEQ ID NO:118, SEQ ID NO:120, SEQ ID NO:122, SEQ ID NO:124, SEQ ID NO:126, SEQ ID NO:128, SEQ ID NO:130), wherein the sequence modification comprises one or more of the following changes: the amino acid at the equivalent of the alanine at residue 118 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a histidine, the amino acid at the equivalent of the alanine at residue 182 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a valine, the amino acid at the equivalent of the threonine at residue 190 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a leucine, the amino acid at the equivalent of the alanine at residue 197 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a glycine, the amino acid at the equivalent of the serine at residue 208 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a lysine, the amino acid at the equivalent of the threonine at residue 219 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a methionine, the amino acid at the equivalent of the threonine at residue 223 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a glutamic acid, the amino acid at the equivalent of the serine at residue 255 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a arginine, the amino acid at the equivalent of the serine at residue 263 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a lysine, the amino acid at the equivalent of the asparagine at residue 275 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a tyrosine, the amino acid at the equivalent of the tyrosine at residue 309 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a tryptophan, or, the amino acid at the equivalent of the serine at residue 312 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a valine. In one aspect, the polypeptide has a pectate lyase activity, which can be thermotolerant or thermostable.

The invention provides methods for generating a modified pectate-lyase encoding nucleic acid comprising making one or more sequence modifications to a pectate-lyase encoding nucleic acid, wherein the changes in the pectate-lyase encoding nucleic acid are equivalent to one or more of the following: changing nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 352 to 354 of SEQ ID NO:131 to CAT or CAC, changing nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 544 to 546 of SEQ ID NO:131 to GTG, GTT, GTC, or GTA, changing nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 568 to 570 of SEQ ID NO:131 to TTG, TTA, CTT, CTC, CTA, or CTG, changing nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 589 to 591 of SEQ ID NO:131 to GGT, GGC, GGA, or GGG, changing nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 622 to 624 of SEQ ID NO:131 to AAG or AAA, changing nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 655 to 657 of SEQ ID NO:131 to ATG, changing nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 667 to 669 of SEQ ID NO:131 to GAG or GAA, the nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 763 to 765 of SEQ ID NO:131 to CGG, CGT, CGC, CGA, AGA, AGG, changing nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 787 to 789 of SEQ ID NO:131 to AAG or AAA, changing nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 823 to 825 of SEQ ID NO:131 to TAT or TAC, changing nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 925 to 927 of SEQ ID NO:131 to TGG, or changing nucleotides at the equivalent of residues 934 to 936 of SEQ ID NO:131 to GTT, GTG, GTC, or GTA. In one aspect, the modified pectate lyase activity has a thermotolerant or thermostable activity. In one aspect, the pectate-lyase encoding nucleic acid comprises a nucleic acid having a sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:13, SEQ ID NO:15, SEQ ID NO:17, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:21, SEQ ID NO:23, SEQ ID NO:25, SEQ ID NO:27, SEQ ID NO:29, SEQ ID NO:31, SEQ ID NO:33, SEQ ID NO:35, SEQ ID NO:37, SEQ ID NO:39, SEQ ID NO:41, SEQ ID NO:43, SEQ ID NO:45, SEQ ID NO:47, SEQ ID NO:49, SEQ ID NO:51, SEQ ID NO:53, SEQ ID NO:55, SEQ ID NO:57, SEQ ID NO:59, SEQ ID NO:61, SEQ ID NO:63, SEQ ID NO:65, SEQ ID NO:67, SEQ ID NO:69, SEQ ID NO:71, SEQ ID NO:73, SEQ ID NO:75, SEQ ID NO:77, SEQ ID NO:79, SEQ ID NO:81, SEQ ID NO:83, SEQ ID NO:85, SEQ ID NO:87, SEQ ID NO:89, SEQ ID NO:91, SEQ ID NO:93, SEQ ID NO:95, SEQ ID NO:97, SEQ ID NO:99, SEQ ID NO:101, SEQ ID NO:103, SEQ ID NO:105, SEQ ID NO:107, SEQ ID NO:109, SEQ ID NO:111, SEQ ID NO:113, SEQ ID NO:115, SEQ ID NO:117, SEQ ID NO:119, SEQ ID NO:121, SEQ ID NO:123, SEQ ID NO:125, SEQ ID NO:127, SEQ ID NO:129, SEQ ID NO:131 or SEQ ID NO:133.

The invention provides methods for generating a modified pectate lyase comprising making one or more sequence modifications to a pectate lyase, wherein the changes in the pectate lyase are equivalent to one or more of the following changes: the amino acid at the equivalent of the alanine at residue 118 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a histidine, the amino acid at the equivalent of the alanine at residue 182 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a valine, the amino acid at the equivalent of the threonine at residue 190 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a leucine, the amino acid at the equivalent of the alanine at residue 197 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a glycine, the amino acid at the equivalent of the serine at residue 208 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a lysine, the amino acid at the equivalent of the threonine at residue 219 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a methionine, the amino acid at the equivalent of the threonine at residue 223 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a glutamic acid, the amino acid at the equivalent of the serine at residue 255 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a arginine, the amino acid at the equivalent of the serine at residue 263 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a lysine, the amino acid at the equivalent of the asparagine at residue 275 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a tyrosine, the amino acid at the equivalent of the tyrosine at residue 309 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a tryptophan, or, the amino acid at the equivalent of the serine at residue 312 of SEQ ID NO:132 is changed to a valine. In one aspect, the pectate lyase comprises a sequence of the invention (e.g., SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:12, SEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:16, SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:22, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:26, SEQ ID NO:28, SEQ ID NO:30, SEQ ID NO:32, SEQ ID NO:34, SEQ ID NO:36, SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:40, SEQ ID NO:42, SEQ ID NO:44, SEQ ID NO:46, SEQ ID NO:48, SEQ ID NO:50, SEQ ID NO:52, SEQ ID NO:54, SEQ ID NO:56, SEQ ID NO:58, SEQ ID NO:60, SEQ ID NO:62, SEQ ID NO:64, SEQ ID NO:66, SEQ ID NO:68, SEQ ID NO:70, SEQ ID NO:72, SEQ ID NO:74, SEQ ID NO:76, SEQ ID NO:78, SEQ ID NO:80, SEQ ID NO:82, SEQ ID NO:84, SEQ ID NO:86, SEQ ID NO:88, SEQ ID NO:90, SEQ ID NO:92, SEQ ID NO:94, SEQ ID NO:96, SEQ ID NO:98, SEQ ID NO:100, SEQ ID NO:102, SEQ ID NO:104, SEQ ID NO:106, SEQ ID NO:108, SEQ ID NO:110, SEQ ID NO:112, SEQ ID NO:114, SEQ ID NO:116, SEQ ID NO:118, SEQ ID NO:120, SEQ ID NO:122, SEQ ID NO:124, SEQ ID NO:126, SEQ ID NO:128 or SEQ ID NO:130). In one aspect, the modified pectate lyase activity has a thermotolerant or thermostable activity.

The invention provides formulations comprising at least one enzyme of the invention comprising dosages in the range of between about 1 gram per ton and 100 or more grams per ton (per ton treated material, e.g., per ton fabric, cloth or the like), between about 10 grams per ton and 90 grams per ton, between about 20 grams per ton and 80 gram per ton, between about 30 grams per ton and 70 grams per ton, between about 40 grams per ton and 50 grams per ton. For example, exemplary formulations comprise about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, etc. to 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, etc. or more grams per ton.

Alternatively, the invention provides formulations comprising at least one enzyme of the invention comprising dosages in the range of between about 1 μg per gram and 100 or more μg per gram (per gram treated material, e.g., per gram fabric, cloth or the like), between about 10 μg per gram and 90 μg per gram, between about 20 μg per gram and 80 μg per gram, between about 30 μg per gram and 70 μg per gram, between about 40 μg per gram and 50 μg per gram. For example, exemplary formulations comprise about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, etc. to 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, etc. or more μg per gram (e.g., per gram fabric, cloth or the like).

Alternatively, the invention provides formulations comprising at least one enzyme of the invention comprising dosages in the range of between about 0.5 mg per pound and 50 or more mg per pound (per pound treated material, e.g., per pound fabric, cloth or the like), between about 1 mg per pound and 45 mg per pound, between about 5 mg per pound and 40 mg per pound, between about 10 mg per pound and 35 mg per pound, between about 15 mg per pound and 30 mg per pound. For example, exemplary formulations comprise about 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, etc. to 50 or more mg per pound (e.g., per pound fabric, cloth or the like).

The invention provides formulations comprising at least one enzyme of the invention comprising dosages comprising an enzyme strength of between about 100 to 40,000 units/ml, 200 to 30,000 units/ml, 500 to 30,000 units/ml, 1000 to 20,000 units/ml, 1000 to 25,000 units/ml, 1000 to 15,000 units/ml, 1000 to 10000 units/ml, 1000 to 5000 units/ml, between about 2000 to 20000 units/ml, between about 2000 to 15000 units/ml, between about 2000 to 10000 units/ml, or between about 2000 to 4000 units/ml, or, between about 200 to 25,000 units/ml, 200 to 20,000 units/ml, 200 to 15000 units/ml, 200 to 10,000 units/ml, between about 400 to 8000 units/ml, between about 600 to 6000 units/ml, between about 800 to 4000 units/ml, or between about 1000 to 2000 units/ml., or, wherein the dosage comprises an enzyme strength of about 1000 u/ml. or, wherein the dosage comprises an enzyme strength of about 3000 units/ml.

In one aspect, the formulation comprises a lyophilized enzyme (e.g., an enzyme of the invention), or, the formulation is a water-based formulation comprising an enzyme of the invention. In one aspect, the formulation comprises a lyophilized enzyme resuspended in water. In one aspect, a formulation of the invention further comprises a glycerol, sucrose, sodium chloride, dextrin, propylene glycol, sorbitol, sodium sulphate or TRIS, or an equivalent. In one aspect, a formulation of the invention further comprises a buffer, e.g., a buffer comprising pH 7, 35% glycerol, 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate; pH 7, 35% glycerol, 300 ppm proxel; pH 7, 10% sodium chloride, 25% glycerol, 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate; pH 7, 10% sodium chloride, 25% glycerol, 300 ppm proxel; pH 5.5, 35% glycerol, 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate; pH 5.5, 35% glycerol, 300 ppm proxel; pH 5.5, 10% sodium chloride, 25% glycerol, 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate; or, 20 mM acetate buffer, pH 5.5, 35% glycerol; 20 mM MOPS, pH 7 or 25 mM MOPS, 50 mM NaCl, pH 7.5; pH 5.0, 40 mM TRIS; pH 7.0, 40 mM TRIS; pH 8.0, 40 mM TRIS; pH 7.5, 50% glycerol; pH 7.5, 20% NaCl; pH 7.5, 30% propylene glycol; pH 7.5, 100 mM sodium sulfate; pH 5.5, 35% glycerol; or, any combination thereof, or, equivalents thereof.

The invention provides bioscouring processes comprising the following steps: (a) providing a pectate lyase of the invention; (b) providing a pectin- or polygalacturonic acid-comprising material; (c) contacting the pectate lyase of (a) with the material of (b) under alkaline conditions, e.g., a pH great than 7.5, or, conditions comprising between about pH 8 and pH 9 or greater, e.g., pH 8.5, in bicarbonate buffer or equivalent. In one aspect, the method also comprises a non-ionic wetting agent, e.g., at about 1 g/L. In one aspect, the pectate lyase ratio is in an enzyme bath between about 10:1 to 50:1 L pectate lyase:kg of material. In one aspect, the pectate lyase dose is between about 0.1 and 0.2 ml of a concentrated extract per kg of material, or equivalent. Alternatively, the pectate lyase dose is between about 0.1 ml to 1 ml of a concentrated extract per kg of material, or equivalent. In one aspect, the temperature range is between about 50° C. to 70° C. In one aspect, the treatment time is about 20 min. In one aspect of the bioscouring processes of the invention, the material comprises a fabric or a cloth. In one aspect, the pectate lyase dose is about 0.137 ml of a concentrated extract per kg of material, or equivalent. In one aspect, the contacting step further comprises use of a chelant, wherein the chelant is excluded from the enzyme bath and is added after about 20 minutes of enzyme treatment and retained for about 10 minutes before discharging bath.

The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

All publications, patents, patent applications, GenBank sequences and ATCC deposits, cited herein are hereby expressly incorporated by reference for all purposes.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computer system.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating one aspect of a process for comparing a new nucleotide or protein sequence with a database of sequences in order to determine the homology levels between the new sequence and the sequences in the database.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating one aspect of a process in a computer for determining whether two sequences are homologous.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating one aspect of an identifier process 300 for detecting the presence of a feature in a sequence.

FIG. 5 is a chart summary of the relative substrate specificity, relative substrate specificity value, characterization activity temperature, characterization activity pH, enzyme activity, characterization description and characterization substrate of exemplary pectate lyases of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a summary of pectate lyase polypeptides of the invention, characterized as “upmutants,” as discussed in detail, below.

FIG. 7 is a table summarizing exemplary melting temperatures and specific activities (SA) of exemplary enzymes of the invention at various temperatures.

FIG. 8 summarizes data from activity assays of exemplary thermotolerant enzymes of the invention, as described in Example 4, below.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention provides polypeptides having a pectate lyase activity, polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides, and methods for making and using these polynucleotides and polypeptides. In one aspect, the pectate lyases of the invention are used to catalyze the beta-elimination (trans-elimination) and/or hydrolysis of pectin and/or polygalacturonic acid (pectate) or other plant wall constituents, e.g., homogalacturonan or rhamnogalacturonan, including 1,4-linked alpha-D-galacturonic acid. The pectate lyases of the invention can also be used for the hydrolysis of plant cell walls, e.g., in treating natural fibers comprising pectin, for example, cotton fibers.

Use of the pectate lyases of the invention to hydrolyze primary cell wall pectin can eliminate the need for caustics and high temperatures in cotton fiber scouring. Use of the pectate lyases of the invention also can significantly reduce the amount of water used to rinse treated fibers, e.g., knitted or woven cotton fabric, after chemical scouring. Use of the pectate lyases of the invention also can reduce raw material losses in chemical scouring. In one aspect, a pectate lyase of the invention, e.g., an alkaline and/or thermostable pectate lyase, is used for bioscouring. Thus, the invention provides processes in which desized cotton fabrics are processed to solubilize and extract undesired non-cellulosic material in fabrics and other cellulosic materials using an enzyme of the invention. The processes of the invention can be used to solubilize and/or extract materials naturally found in cotton and/or to remove applied impurities, such as machinery lubricants.

FIGS. 5 and 7 are chart summaries of, inter alia, the relative substrate specificity, relative substrate specificity value, characterization activity temperature, characterization activity pH, enzyme activity, characterization description and characterization substrate of exemplary pectate lyases of the invention.

The pectate lyase preparations of the invention (including those for treating or processing feeds or foods, treating fibers and textiles, waste treatments, plant treatments, and the like) can further comprise one or more enzymes, for example, proteases, cellulases (endo-beta-1,4-glucanases), beta-glucanases (endo-beta-1,3(4)-glucanases), lipases, cutinases, peroxidases, laccases, amylases, pectate lyases, pectinases, reductases, oxidases, phenoloxidases, ligninases, pullulanases, arabinanases, hemicellulases, mannanases, xyloglucanases, xylanases, pectin acetyl esterases, rhamnogalacturonan acetyl esterases, polygalacturonases, rhamnogalacturonases, galactanases, pectin lyases, pectin methylesterases, cellobiohydrolases, transglutaminases; or mixtures thereof.

Definitions

The term “pectate lyase” includes all polypeptides having a pectate lyase, or pectinase, activity, including the beta-elimination (trans-elimination) and/or hydrolysis of pectin and/or polygalacturonic acid (pectate) or other plant wall constituents, e.g., homogalacturonan or rhamnogalacturonan, including 1,4-linked alpha-D-galacturonic acid. In one aspect, pectate lyase activity includes catalysis of the cleavage of glycosidic linkages of pectic substances, e.g., catalyzing the beta-elimination (trans-elimination) and/or hydrolysis of plant cell walls (e.g., the breakup or dissolution of cell walls comprising pectin, e.g., plant cell walls). In one aspect, pectate lyase activity includes catalyzing the beta-elimination (trans-elimination) and/or hydrolysis of methyl-esterified galacturonic acid, including partially or completely methyl-esterified polygalacturonic acid. In one aspect, the pectate lyase activity is mainly endo-acting, e.g., cutting the polymer (e.g., polygalacturonic acid) at random sites within a chain to give a mixture of oligomers, or the pectate lyase activity may be exo-acting, attacking from one end of the polymer and producing monomers or dimers, or, a combination thereof. In one aspect, the pectate lyase activity comprises catalyzing the random cleavage of alpha-1,4-glycosidic linkages in pectic acid (polygalacturonic acid) by trans-elimination. In one aspect, pectate lyase activity includes polypeptides having activity the same or similar to pectate lyase (EC 4.2.2.2), poly(1,4-alpha-D-galacturonide) lyase, polygalacturonate lyase (EC 4.2.2.2), pectin lyase (EC 4.2.2.10), polygalacturonase (EC 3.2.1.15), exo-polygalacturonase (EC 3.2.1.67), exo-polygalacturonate lyase (EC 4.2.2.9) and/or exo-poly-alpha-galacturonosidase (EC 3.2.1.82).

A polypeptide can be routinely assayed for pectate lyase activity (e.g., tested to see if the protein is within the scope of the invention) by any method, e.g., a PGA assay for pectate lyases. In this test pectate lyase activity is measured at desired temperature and pH using 0.2% polygalacturonic acid (Sigma, P3850) in 25 mM Tris HCl −25 mM Glycine NaOH buffer. One unit of enzyme activity is defined as the amount of protein that produced 1 μmol of unsaturated oligogalacturonides per minute equivalent to 1 μmol of unsaturated digalacturonide, using molecular extinction coefficient value of 4600 M⁻¹cm⁻¹ at 235 nm for dimer. Protein can be determined for homogenous purified protein by measuring absorbance at 280 nm, using extinction coefficient value specific for each protein based on sequence.

The term “antibody” includes a peptide or polypeptide derived from, modeled after or substantially encoded by an immunoglobulin gene or immunoglobulin genes, or fragments thereof, capable of specifically binding an antigen or epitope, see, e.g. Fundamental Immunology, Third Edition, W. E. Paul, ed., Raven Press, N.Y. (1993); Wilson (1994) J. Immunol. Methods 175:267-273; Yarmush (1992) J. Biochem. Biophys. Methods 25:85-97. The term antibody includes antigen-binding portions, i.e., “antigen binding sites,” (e.g., fragments, subsequences, complementarity determining regions (CDRs)) that retain capacity to bind antigen, including (i) a Fab fragment, a monovalent fragment consisting of the VL, VH, CL and CH1 domains; (ii) a F(ab′)2 fragment, a bivalent fragment comprising two Fab fragments linked by a disulfide bridge at the hinge region; (iii) a Fd fragment consisting of the VH and CH1 domains; (iv) a Fv fragment consisting of the VL and VH domains of a single arm of an antibody, (v) a dAb fragment (Ward et al., (1989) Nature 341:544-546), which consists of a VH domain; and (vi) an isolated complementarity determining region (CDR). Single chain antibodies are also included by reference in the term “antibody.”

The terms “array” or “microarray” or “biochip” or “chip” as used herein is a plurality of target elements, each target element comprising a defined amount of one or more polypeptides (including antibodies) or nucleic acids immobilized onto a defined area of a substrate surface, as discussed in further detail, below.

As used herein, the terms “computer,” “computer program” and “processor” are used in their broadest general contexts and incorporate all such devices, as described in detail, below. A “coding sequence of” or a “sequence encodes” a particular polypeptide or protein, is a nucleic acid sequence which is transcribed and translated into a polypeptide or protein when placed under the control of appropriate regulatory sequences.

The term “expression cassette” as used herein refers to a nucleotide sequence which is capable of affecting expression of a structural gene (i.e., a protein coding sequence, such as a pectate lyase of the invention) in a host compatible with such sequences. Expression cassettes include at least a promoter operably linked with the polypeptide coding sequence; and, optionally, with other sequences, e.g., transcription termination signals. Additional factors necessary or helpful in effecting expression may also be used, e.g., enhancers. Thus, expression cassettes also include plasmids, expression vectors, recombinant viruses, any form of recombinant “naked DNA” vector, and the like.

“Operably linked” as used herein refers to a functional relationship between two or more nucleic acid (e.g., DNA) segments. Typically, it refers to the functional relationship of transcriptional regulatory sequence to a transcribed sequence. For example, a promoter is operably linked to a coding sequence, such as a nucleic acid of the invention, if it stimulates or modulates the transcription of the coding sequence in an appropriate host cell or other expression system. Generally, promoter transcriptional regulatory sequences that are operably linked to a transcribed sequence are physically contiguous to the transcribed sequence, i.e., they are cis-acting. However, some transcriptional regulatory sequences, such as enhancers, need not be physically contiguous or located in close proximity to the coding sequences whose transcription they enhance.

A “vector” comprises a nucleic acid that can infect, transfect, transiently or permanently transduce a cell. It will be recognized that a vector can be a naked nucleic acid, or a nucleic acid complexed with protein or lipid. The vector optionally comprises viral or bacterial nucleic acids and/or proteins, and/or membranes (e.g., a cell membrane, a viral lipid envelope, etc.). Vectors include, but are not limited to replicons (e.g., RNA replicons, bacteriophages) to which fragments of DNA may be attached and become replicated. Vectors thus include, but are not limited to RNA, autonomous self-replicating circular or linear DNA or RNA (e.g., plasmids, viruses, and the like, see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,879), and include both the expression and non-expression plasmids. Where a recombinant microorganism or cell culture is described as hosting an “expression vector” this includes both extra-chromosomal circular and linear DNA and DNA that has been incorporated into the host chromosome(s). Where a vector is being maintained by a host cell, the vector may either be stably replicated by the cells during mitosis as an autonomous structure, or is incorporated within the host's genome.

As used herein, the term “promoter” includes all sequences capable of driving transcription of a coding sequence in a cell, e.g., a plant cell. Thus, promoters used in the constructs of the invention include cis-acting transcriptional control elements and regulatory sequences that are involved in regulating or modulating the timing and/or rate of transcription of a gene. For example, a promoter can be a cis-acting transcriptional control element, including an enhancer, a promoter, a transcription terminator, an origin of replication, a chromosomal integration sequence, 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions, or an intronic sequence, which are involved in transcriptional regulation. These cis-acting sequences typically interact with proteins or other biomolecules to carry out (turn on/off, regulate, modulate, etc.) transcription. “Constitutive” promoters are those that drive expression continuously under most environmental conditions and states of development or cell differentiation. “Inducible” or “regulatable” promoters direct expression of the nucleic acid of the invention under the influence of environmental conditions or developmental conditions. Examples of environmental conditions that may affect transcription by inducible promoters include anaerobic conditions, elevated temperature, drought, or the presence of light.

“Tissue-specific” promoters are transcriptional control elements that are only active in particular cells or tissues or organs, e.g., in plants or animals. Tissue-specific regulation may be achieved by certain intrinsic factors that ensure that genes encoding proteins specific to a given tissue are expressed. Such factors are known to exist in mammals and plants so as to allow for specific tissues to develop.

The term “plant” includes whole plants, plant parts (e.g., leaves, stems, flowers, roots, etc.), plant protoplasts, seeds and plant cells and progeny of same. The class of plants which can be used in the method of the invention is generally as broad as the class of higher plants amenable to transformation techniques, including angiosperms (monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants), as well as gymnosperms. It includes plants of a variety of ploidy levels, including polyploid, diploid, haploid and hemizygous states. As used herein, the term “transgenic plant” includes plants or plant cells into which a heterologous nucleic acid sequence has been inserted, e.g., the nucleic acids and various recombinant constructs (e.g., expression cassettes) of the invention.

“Plasmids” can be commercially available, publicly available on an unrestricted basis, or can be constructed from available plasmids in accord with published procedures. Equivalent plasmids to those described herein are known in the art and will be apparent to the ordinarily skilled artisan.

The term “gene” includes a nucleic acid sequence comprising a segment of DNA involved in producing a transcription product (e.g., a message), which in turn is translated to produce a polypeptide chain, or regulates gene transcription, reproduction or stability. Genes can include regions preceding and following the coding region, such as leader and trailer, promoters and enhancers, as well as, where applicable, intervening sequences (introns) between individual coding segments (exons).

The phrases “nucleic acid” or “nucleic acid sequence” includes oligonucleotide, nucleotide, polynucleotide, or to a fragment of any of these, to DNA or RNA (e.g., mRNA, rRNA, tRNA) of genomic or synthetic origin which may be single-stranded or double-stranded and may represent a sense or antisense strand, to peptide nucleic acid (PNA), or to any DNA-like or RNA-like material, natural or synthetic in origin, including, e.g., iRNA, ribonucleoproteins (e.g., iRNPs). The term encompasses nucleic acids, i.e., oligonucleotides, containing known analogues of natural nucleotides. The term also encompasses nucleic-acid-like structures with synthetic backbones, see e.g., Mata (1997) Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 144:189-197; Strauss-Soukup (1997) Biochemistry 36:8692-8698; Samstag (1996) Antisense Nucleic Acid Drug Dev 6:153-156.

“Amino acid” or “amino acid sequence” include an oligopeptide, peptide, polypeptide, or protein sequence, or to a fragment, portion, or subunit of any of these, and to naturally occurring or synthetic molecules. The terms “polypeptide” and “protein” include amino acids joined to each other by peptide bonds or modified peptide bonds, i.e., peptide isosteres, and may contain modified amino acids other than the 20 gene-encoded amino acids. The term “polypeptide” also includes peptides and polypeptide fragments, motifs and the like. The term also includes glycosylated polypeptides. The peptides and polypeptides of the invention also include all “mimetic” and “peptidomimetic” forms, as described in further detail, below.

The term “isolated” includes a material removed from its original environment, e.g., the natural environment if it is naturally occurring. For example, a naturally occurring polynucleotide or polypeptide present in a living animal is not isolated, but the same polynucleotide or polypeptide, separated from some or all of the coexisting materials in the natural system, is isolated. Such polynucleotides could be part of a vector and/or such polynucleotides or polypeptides could be part of a composition, and still be isolated in that such vector or composition is not part of its natural environment. As used herein, an isolated material or composition can also be a “purified” composition, i.e., it does not require absolute purity; rather, it is intended as a relative definition. Individual nucleic acids obtained from a library can be conventionally purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. In alternative aspects, the invention provides nucleic acids which have been purified from genomic DNA or from other sequences in a library or other environment by at least one, two, three, four, five or more orders of magnitude.

As used herein, the term “recombinant” can include nucleic acids adjacent to a “backbone” nucleic acid to which it is not adjacent in its natural environment. In one aspect, nucleic acids represent 5% or more of the number of nucleic acid inserts in a population of nucleic acid “backbone molecules.” “Backbone molecules” according to the invention include nucleic acids such as expression vectors, self-replicating nucleic acids, viruses, integrating nucleic acids, and other vectors or nucleic acids used to maintain or manipulate a nucleic acid insert of interest. In one aspect, the enriched nucleic acids represent 10%, 15%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 98% or more of the number of nucleic acid inserts in the population of recombinant backbone molecules. “Recombinant” polypeptides or proteins refer to polypeptides or proteins produced by recombinant DNA techniques; e.g., produced from cells transformed by an exogenous DNA construct encoding the desired polypeptide or protein. “Synthetic” polypeptides or protein are those prepared by chemical synthesis, as described in further detail, below.

A promoter sequence can be “operably linked to” a coding sequence when RNA polymerase which initiates transcription at the promoter will transcribe the coding sequence into mRNA, as discussed further, below.

“Oligonucleotide” includes either a single stranded polydeoxynucleotide or two complementary polydeoxynucleotide strands which may be chemically synthesized. Such synthetic oligonucleotides have no 5′ phosphate and thus will not ligate to another oligonucleotide without adding a phosphate with an ATP in the presence of a kinase. A synthetic oligonucleotide can ligate to a fragment that has not been dephosphorylated.

The phrase “substantially identical” in the context of two nucleic acids or polypeptides, can refer to two or more sequences that have, e.g., at least about 50%, 51%, 52%, 53%, 54%, 55%, 56%, 57%, 58%, 59%, 60%, 61%, 62%, 63%, 64%, 65%, 66%, 67%, 68%, 69%, 70%, 71%, 72%, 73%, 74%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or more nucleotide or amino acid residue (sequence) identity, when compared and aligned for maximum correspondence, as measured using one any known sequence comparison algorithm, as discussed in detail below, or by visual inspection. In alternative aspects, the invention provides nucleic acid and polypeptide sequences having substantial identity to an exemplary sequence of the invention, e.g., SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:13, SEQ ID NO:15, SEQ ID NO:17, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:21, SEQ ID NO:23, SEQ ID NO:25, SEQ ID NO:27, SEQ ID NO:29, SEQ ID NO:31, SEQ ID NO:33, SEQ ID NO:35, SEQ ID NO:37, SEQ ID NO:39, SEQ ID NO:41, SEQ ID NO:43, SEQ ID NO:45, SEQ ID NO:47, SEQ ID NO:49, SEQ ID NO:51, SEQ ID NO:53, SEQ ID NO:55, SEQ ID NO:57, SEQ ID NO:59, SEQ ID NO:61, SEQ ID NO:63, SEQ ID NO:65, SEQ ID NO:67, SEQ ID NO:69, SEQ ID NO:71, SEQ ID NO:73, SEQ ID NO:75, SEQ ID NO:77, SEQ ID NO:79, SEQ ID NO:81, SEQ ID NO:83, SEQ ID NO:85, SEQ ID NO:87, SEQ ID NO:89, SEQ ID NO:91, SEQ ID NO:93, SEQ ID NO:95, SEQ ID NO:97, SEQ ID NO:99, SEQ ID NO:101, SEQ ID NO:103, SEQ ID NO:105, SEQ ID NO:107, SEQ ID NO:109, SEQ ID NO:111, SEQ ID NO:113, SEQ ID NO:115, SEQ ID NO:117, SEQ ID NO:119, SEQ ID NO:121, SEQ ID NO:123, SEQ ID NO:125, SEQ ID NO:127, SEQ ID NO:129, SEQ ID NO:131, SEQ ID NO:133 (nucleic acids) SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:12, SEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:16, SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:22, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:26, SEQ ID NO:28, SEQ ID NO:30, SEQ ID NO:32, SEQ ID NO:34, SEQ ID NO:36, SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:40, SEQ ID NO:42, SEQ ID NO:44, SEQ ID NO:46, SEQ ID NO:48, SEQ ID NO:50, SEQ ID NO:52, SEQ ID NO:54, SEQ ID NO:56, SEQ ID NO:58, SEQ ID NO:60, SEQ ID NO:62, SEQ ID NO:64, SEQ ID NO:66, SEQ ID NO:68, SEQ ID NO:70, SEQ ID NO:72, SEQ ID NO:74, SEQ ID NO:76, SEQ ID NO:78, SEQ ID NO:80, SEQ ID NO:82, SEQ ID NO:84, SEQ ID NO:86, SEQ ID NO:88, SEQ ID NO:90, SEQ ID NO:92, SEQ ID NO:94, SEQ ID NO:96, SEQ ID NO:98, SEQ ID NO:100, SEQ ID NO:102, SEQ ID NO:104, SEQ ID NO:106, SEQ ID NO:108, SEQ ID NO:110, SEQ ID NO:112, SEQ ID NO:114, SEQ ID NO:116, SEQ ID NO:118, SEQ ID NO:120, SEQ ID NO:122, SEQ ID NO:124, SEQ ID NO:126, SEQ ID NO:128, SEQ ID NO:130, SEQ ID NO:132, SEQ ID NO:134 (polypeptides), over a region of at least about 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750, 800, 850, 900, 950, 1000 or more residues, or a region ranging from between about 50 residues to the full length of the nucleic acid or polypeptide. Nucleic acid sequences of the invention can be substantially identical over the entire length of a polypeptide coding region.

A “substantially identical” amino acid sequence also can include a sequence that differs from a reference sequence by one or more conservative or non-conservative amino acid substitutions, deletions, or insertions, particularly when such a substitution occurs at a site that is not the active site of the molecule, and provided that the polypeptide essentially retains its functional properties. A conservative amino acid substitution, for example, substitutes one amino acid for another of the same class (e.g., substitution of one hydrophobic amino acid, such as isoleucine, valine, leucine, or methionine, for another, or substitution of one polar amino acid for another, such as substitution of arginine for lysine, glutamic acid for aspartic acid or glutamine for asparagine). One or more amino acids can be deleted, for example, from a pectate lyase, resulting in modification of the structure of the polypeptide, without significantly altering its biological activity. For example, amino- or carboxyl-terminal amino acids that are not required for pectate lyase activity can be removed.

“Hybridization” includes the process by which a nucleic acid strand joins with a complementary strand through base pairing. Hybridization reactions can be sensitive and selective so that a particular sequence of interest can be identified even in samples in which it is present at low concentrations. Stringent conditions can be defined by, for example, the concentrations of salt or formamide in the prehybridization and hybridization solutions, or by the hybridization temperature, and are well known in the art. For example, stringency can be increased by reducing the concentration of salt, increasing the concentration of formamide, or raising the hybridization temperature, altering the time of hybridization, as described in detail, below. In alternative aspects, nucleic acids of the invention are defined by their ability to hybridize under various stringency conditions (e.g., high, medium, and low), as set forth herein.

“Variant” includes polynucleotides or polypeptides of the invention modified at one or more base pairs, codons, introns, exons, or amino acid residues (respectively) yet still retain the biological activity of a pectate lyase of the invention. Variants can be produced by any number of means included methods such as, for example, error-prone PCR, shuffling, oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis, assembly PCR, sexual PCR mutagenesis, in vivo mutagenesis, cassette mutagenesis, recursive ensemble mutagenesis, exponential ensemble mutagenesis, site-specific mutagenesis, gene reassembly, GSSM™ and any combination thereof. Techniques for producing variant pectate lyase having activity at a pH or temperature, for example, that is different from a wild-type pectate lyase, are included herein.

The term “saturation mutagenesis” or “GSSM™” includes a method that uses degenerate oligonucleotide primers to introduce point mutations into a polynucleotide, as described in detail, below.

The term “optimized directed evolution system” or “optimized directed evolution” includes a method for reassembling fragments of related nucleic acid sequences, e.g., related genes, and explained in detail, below.

The term “synthetic ligation reassembly” or “SLR” includes a method of ligating oligonucleotide fragments in a non-stochastic fashion, and explained in detail, below.

Generating and Manipulating Nucleic Acids

The invention provides isolated and recombinant nucleic acids, e.g., polynucleotides having a sequence identity to an exemplary nucleic acid of the invention, e.g., SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:13, SEQ ID NO:15, SEQ ID NO:17, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:21, SEQ ID NO:23, SEQ ID NO:25, SEQ ID NO:27, SEQ ID NO:29, SEQ ID NO:31, SEQ ID NO:33, SEQ ID NO:35, SEQ ID NO:37, SEQ ID NO:39, SEQ ID NO:41, SEQ ID NO:43, SEQ ID NO:45, SEQ ID NO:47, SEQ ID NO:49, SEQ ID NO:51, SEQ ID NO:53, SEQ ID NO:55, SEQ ID NO:57, SEQ ID NO:59, SEQ ID NO:61, SEQ ID NO:63, SEQ ID NO:65, SEQ ID NO:67, SEQ ID NO:69, SEQ ID NO:71, SEQ ID NO:73, SEQ ID NO:75, SEQ ID NO:77, SEQ ID NO:79, SEQ ID NO:81, SEQ ID NO:83, SEQ ID NO:85, SEQ ID NO:87, SEQ ID NO:89, SEQ ID NO:91, SEQ ID NO:93, SEQ ID NO:95, SEQ ID NO:97, SEQ ID NO:99, SEQ ID NO:101, SEQ ID NO:103, SEQ ID NO:105, SEQ ID NO:107, SEQ ID NO:109, SEQ ID NO:110, SEQ ID NO:113, SEQ ID NO:115, SEQ ID NO:117, SEQ ID NO:119, SEQ ID NO:121, SEQ ID NO:123, SEQ ID NO:125, SEQ ID NO:127, SEQ ID NO:129, SEQ ID NO:131 or SEQ ID NO:133; nucleic acids encoding polypeptides of the invention, e.g., sequences as set forth in SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:12, SEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:16, SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:22, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:26, SEQ ID NO:28, SEQ ID NO:30, SEQ ID NO:32, SEQ ID NO:34, SEQ ID NO:36, SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:40, SEQ ID NO:42, SEQ ID NO:44, SEQ ID NO:46, SEQ ID NO:48, SEQ ID NO:50, SEQ ID NO:52, SEQ ID NO:54, SEQ ID NO:56, SEQ ID NO:58, SEQ ID NO:60, SEQ ID NO:62, SEQ ID NO:64, SEQ ID NO:66, SEQ ID NO:68, SEQ ID NO:70, SEQ ID NO:72, SEQ ID NO:74, SEQ ID NO:76, SEQ ID NO:78, SEQ ID NO:80, SEQ ID NO:82, SEQ ID NO:84, SEQ ID NO:86, SEQ ID NO:88, SEQ ID NO:90, SEQ ID NO:92, SEQ ID NO:94, SEQ ID NO:96, SEQ ID NO:98, SEQ ID NO:100, SEQ ID NO:102, SEQ ID NO:104, SEQ ID NO:106, SEQ ID NO:108, SEQ ID NO:110, SEQ ID NO:112, SEQ ID NO:114, SEQ ID NO:116, SEQ ID NO:118, SEQ ID NO:120, SEQ ID NO:122, SEQ ID NO:124, SEQ ID NO:126, SEQ ID NO:128, SEQ ID NO:130, SEQ ID NO:132 or SEQ ID NO:134.

The nucleic acids of the invention can also comprise expression cassettes, such as expression vectors, where in one aspect they encode a polypeptide of the invention. The invention also includes methods for discovering new pectate lyase sequences using the nucleic acids of the invention. The invention also includes methods for inhibiting the expression of pectate lyase genes, transcripts and polypeptides using the nucleic acids of the invention. Also provided are methods for modifying the nucleic acids of the invention by, e.g., synthetic ligation reassembly, optimized directed evolution system and/or gene site saturation mutagenesis (GSSM™).

The nucleic acids of the invention can be made, isolated and/or manipulated by, e.g., cloning and expression of cDNA libraries, amplification of message or genomic DNA by PCR, and the like. In practicing the methods of the invention, homologous genes can be modified by manipulating a template nucleic acid, as described herein. The invention can be practiced in conjunction with any method or protocol or device known in the art, which are well described in the scientific and patent literature.

General Techniques

The nucleic acids used to practice this invention, whether RNA, iRNA (i.e., RNAi), antisense nucleic acid, cDNA, genomic DNA, vectors, viruses or hybrids thereof, may be isolated from a variety of sources, genetically engineered, amplified, and/or expressed/generated recombinantly. Recombinant polypeptides generated from these nucleic acids can be individually isolated or cloned and tested for a desired activity. Any recombinant expression system can be used, including bacterial, mammalian, yeast, insect or plant cell expression systems.

Alternatively, these nucleic acids can be synthesized in vitro by well-known chemical synthesis techniques, as described in, e.g., Adams (1983) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 105:661; Belousov (1997) Nucleic Acids Res. 25:3440-3444; Frenkel (1995) Free Radic. Biol. Med. 19:373-380; Blommers (1994) Biochemistry 33:7886-7896; Narang (1979) Meth. Enzymol. 68:90; Brown (1979) Meth. Enzymol. 68:109; Beaucage (1981) Tetra. Lett. 22:1859; U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,066.

Techniques for the manipulation of nucleic acids, such as, e.g., subcloning, labeling probes (e.g., random-primer labeling using Klenow polymerase, nick translation, amplification), sequencing, hybridization and the like are well described in the scientific and patent literature, see, e.g., Sambrook, ed., MOLECULAR CLONING: A LABORATORY MANUAL (2ND ED.), Vols. 1-3, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, (1989); CURRENT PROTOCOLS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, Ausubel, ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York (1997); LABORATORY TECHNIQUES IN BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY: HYBRIDIZATION WITH NUCLEIC ACID PROBES, Part I. Theory and Nucleic Acid Preparation, Tijssen, ed. Elsevier, N.Y. (1993).

Another useful means of obtaining and manipulating nucleic acids used to practice the methods of the invention is to clone from genomic samples, and, if desired, screen and re-clone inserts isolated or amplified from, e.g., genomic clones or cDNA clones. Sources of nucleic acid used in the methods of the invention include genomic or cDNA libraries contained in, e.g., mammalian artificial chromosomes (MACs), see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,721,118; 6,025,155; human artificial chromosomes, see, e.g., Rosenfeld (1997) Nat. Genet. 15:333-335; yeast artificial chromosomes (YAC); bacterial artificial chromosomes (BAC); P1 artificial chromosomes, see, e.g., Woon (1998) Genomics 50:306-316; P1-derived vectors (PACs), see, e.g., Kern (1997) Biotechniques 23:120-124; cosmids, recombinant viruses, phages or plasmids.

In one aspect, a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide of the invention is assembled in appropriate phase with a leader sequence capable of directing secretion of the translated polypeptide or fragment thereof.

The invention provides fusion proteins and nucleic acids encoding them. A polypeptide of the invention can be fused to a heterologous peptide or polypeptide, such as N-terminal identification peptides which impart desired characteristics, such as increased stability or simplified purification. Peptides and polypeptides of the invention can also be synthesized and expressed as fusion proteins with one or more additional domains linked thereto for, e.g., producing a more immunogenic peptide, to more readily isolate a recombinantly synthesized peptide, to identify and isolate antibodies and antibody-expressing B cells, and the like. Detection and purification facilitating domains include, e.g., metal chelating peptides such as polyhistidine tracts and histidine-tryptophan modules that allow purification on immobilized metals, protein A domains that allow purification on immobilized immunoglobulin, and the domain utilized in the FLAGS extension/affinity purification system (Immunex Corp, Seattle Wash.). The inclusion of a cleavable linker sequences such as Factor Xa or enterokinase (Invitrogen, San Diego Calif.) between a purification domain and the motif-comprising peptide or polypeptide to facilitate purification. For example, an expression vector can include an epitope-encoding nucleic acid sequence linked to six histidine residues followed by a thioredoxin and an enterokinase cleavage site (see e.g., Williams (1995) Biochemistry 34:1787-1797; Dobeli (1998) Protein Expr. Purif. 12:404-414). The histidine residues facilitate detection and purification while the enterokinase cleavage site provides a means for purifying the epitope from the remainder of the fusion protein. Technology pertaining to vectors encoding fusion proteins and application of fusion proteins are well described in the scientific and patent literature, see e.g., Kroll (1993) DNA Cell. Biol., 12:441-53.

Transcriptional and Translational Control Sequences

The invention provides nucleic acid (e.g., DNA) sequences of the invention operatively linked to expression (e.g., transcriptional or translational) control sequence(s), e.g., promoters or enhancers, to direct or modulate RNA synthesis/expression. The expression control sequence can be in an expression vector. Exemplary bacterial promoters include lacI, lacZ, T3, T7, gpt, lambda PR, PL and trp. Exemplary eukaryotic promoters include CMV immediate early, HSV thymidine kinase, early and late SV40, LTRs from retrovirus, and mouse metallothionein I.

Promoters suitable for expressing a polypeptide in bacteria include the E. coli lac or trp promoters, the lacI promoter, the lacZ promoter, the T3 promoter, the T7 promoter, the gpt promoter, the lambda PR promoter, the lambda PL promoter, promoters from operons encoding glycolytic enzymes such as 3-phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK), and the acid phosphatase promoter. Eukaryotic promoters include the CMV immediate early promoter, the HSV thymidine kinase promoter, heat shock promoters, the early and late SV40 promoter, LTRs from retroviruses, and the mouse metallothionein-I promoter. Other promoters known to control expression of genes in prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells or their viruses may also be used.

Tissue-Specific Plant Promoters

The invention provides expression cassettes that can be expressed in a tissue-specific manner, e.g., that can express a pectate lyase of the invention in a tissue-specific manner. The invention also provides plants or seeds that express a pectate lyase of the invention in a tissue-specific manner. The tissue-specificity can be seed specific, stem specific, leaf specific, root specific, fruit specific and the like.

In one aspect, a constitutive promoter such as the CaMV 35S promoter can be used for expression in specific parts of the plant or seed or throughout the plant. For example, for overexpression, a plant promoter fragment can be employed which will direct expression of a nucleic acid in some or all tissues of a plant, e.g., a regenerated plant. Such promoters are referred to herein as “constitutive” promoters and are active under most environmental conditions and states of development or cell differentiation. Examples of constitutive promoters include the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S transcription initiation region, the 1′- or 2′-promoter derived from T-DNA of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, and other transcription initiation regions from various plant genes known to those of skill. Such genes include, e.g., ACT11 from Arabidopsis (Huang (1996) Plant Mol. Biol. 33:125-139); Cat3 from Arabidopsis (GenBank No. U43147, Zhong (1996) Mol. Gen. Genet. 251:196-203); the gene encoding stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase from Brassica napus (Genbank No. X74782, Solocombe (1994) Plant Physiol. 104:1167-1176); GPc1 from maize (GenBank No. X15596; Martinez (1989) J. Mol. Biol 208:551-565); the Gpc2 from maize (GenBank No. U45855, Manjunath (1997) Plant Mol. Biol. 33:97-112); plant promoters described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,962,028; 5,633,440.

The invention uses tissue-specific or constitutive promoters derived from viruses which can include, e.g., the tobamovirus subgenomic promoter (Kumagai (1995) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92:1679-1683; the rice tungro bacilliform virus (RTBV), which replicates only in phloem cells in infected rice plants, with its promoter which drives strong phloem-specific reporter gene expression; the cassaya vein mosaic virus (CVMV) promoter, with highest activity in vascular elements, in leaf mesophyll cells, and in root tips (Verdaguer (1996) Plant Mol. Biol. 31:1129-1139).

Alternatively, the plant promoter may direct expression of pectate lyase-expressing nucleic acid in a specific tissue, organ or cell type (i.e. tissue-specific promoters) or may be otherwise under more precise environmental or developmental control or under the control of an inducible promoter. Examples of environmental conditions that may affect transcription include anaerobic conditions, elevated temperature, the presence of light, or sprayed with chemicals/hormones. For example, the invention incorporates the drought-inducible promoter of maize (Busk (1997) supra); the cold, drought, and high salt inducible promoter from potato (Kirch (1997) Plant Mol. Biol. 33:897 909).

Tissue-specific promoters can promote transcription only within a certain time frame of developmental stage within that tissue. See, e.g., Blazquez (1998) Plant Cell 10:791-800, characterizing the Arabidopsis LEAFY gene promoter. See also Cardon (1997) Plant J 12:367-77, describing the transcription factor SPL3, which recognizes a conserved sequence motif in the promoter region of the A. thaliana floral meristem identity gene AP1; and Mandel (1995) Plant Molecular Biology, Vol. 29, pp 995-1004, describing the meristem promoter eIF4. Tissue specific promoters which are active throughout the life cycle of a particular tissue can be used. In one aspect, the nucleic acids of the invention are operably linked to a promoter active primarily only in cotton fiber cells. In one aspect, the nucleic acids of the invention are operably linked to a promoter active primarily during the stages of cotton fiber cell elongation, e.g., as described by Rinehart (1996) supra. The nucleic acids can be operably linked to the Fbl2A gene promoter to be preferentially expressed in cotton fiber cells (Ibid). See also, John (1997) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89:5769-5773; John, et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,608,148 and 5,602,321, describing cotton fiber-specific promoters and methods for the construction of transgenic cotton plants. Root-specific promoters may also be used to express the nucleic acids of the invention. Examples of root-specific promoters include the promoter from the alcohol dehydrogenase gene (DeLisle (1990) Int. Rev. Cytol. 123:39-60). Other promoters that can be used to express the nucleic acids of the invention include, e.g., ovule-specific, embryo-specific, endosperm-specific, integument-specific, seed coat-specific promoters, or some combination thereof; a leaf-specific promoter (see, e.g., Busk (1997) Plant J. 11:1285 1295, describing a leaf-specific promoter in maize); the ORF 13 promoter from Agrobacterium rhizogenes (which exhibits high activity in roots, see, e.g., Hansen (1997) supra); a maize pollen specific promoter (see, e.g., Guerrero (1990) Mol. Gen. Genet. 224:161 168); a tomato promoter active during fruit ripening, senescence and abscission of leaves and, to a lesser extent, of flowers can be used (see, e.g., Blume (1997) Plant J. 12:731 746); a pistil-specific promoter from the potato SK2 gene (see, e.g., Ficker (1997) Plant Mol. Biol. 35:425 431); the Blec4 gene from pea, which is active in epidermal tissue of vegetative and floral shoot apices of transgenic alfalfa making it a useful tool to target the expression of foreign genes to the epidermal layer of actively growing shoots or fibers; the ovule-specific BEL1 gene (see, e.g., Reiser (1995) Cell 83:735-742, GenBank No. U39944); and/or, the promoter in Klee, U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,583, describing a plant promoter region is capable of conferring high levels of transcription in meristematic tissue and/or rapidly dividing cells.

Alternatively, plant promoters which are inducible upon exposure to plant hormones, such as auxins, are used to express the nucleic acids of the invention. For example, the invention can use the auxin-response elements E1 promoter fragment (AuxREs) in the soybean (Glycine max L.) (Liu (1997) Plant Physiol. 115:397-407); the auxin-responsive Arabidopsis GST6 promoter (also responsive to salicylic acid and hydrogen peroxide) (Chen (1996) Plant J. 10: 955-966); the auxin-inducible parC promoter from tobacco (Sakai (1996) 37:906-913); a plant biotin response element (Streit (1997) Mol. Plant Microbe Interact. 10:933-937); and, the promoter responsive to the stress hormone abscisic acid (Sheen (1996) Science 274:1900-1902).

The nucleic acids of the invention can also be operably linked to plant promoters which are inducible upon exposure to chemicals reagents which can be applied to the plant, such as herbicides or antibiotics. For example, the maize In2-2 promoter, activated by benzenesulfonamide herbicide safeners, can be used (De Veylder (1997) Plant Cell Physiol. 38:568-577); application of different herbicide safeners induces distinct gene expression patterns, including expression in the root, hydathodes, and the shoot apical meristem. Coding sequence can be under the control of, e.g., a tetracycline-inducible promoter, e.g., as described with transgenic tobacco plants containing the Avena sativa L. (oat) arginine decarboxylase gene (Masgrau (1997) Plant J. 11:465-473); or, a salicylic acid-responsive element (Stange (1997) Plant J. 11:1315-1324). Using chemically- (e.g., hormone- or pesticide-) induced promoters, i.e., promoter responsive to a chemical which can be applied to the transgenic plant in the field, expression of a polypeptide of the invention can be induced at a particular stage of development of the plant. Thus, the invention also provides for transgenic plants containing an inducible gene encoding for polypeptides of the invention whose host range is limited to target plant species, such as corn, rice, barley, wheat, potato or other crops, inducible at any stage of development of the crop.

One of skill will recognize that a tissue-specific plant promoter may drive expression of operably linked sequences in tissues other than the target tissue. Thus, a tissue-specific promoter is one that drives expression preferentially in the target tissue or cell type, but may also lead to some expression in other tissues as well.

The nucleic acids of the invention can also be operably linked to plant promoters which are inducible upon exposure to chemicals reagents. These reagents include, e.g., herbicides, synthetic auxins, or antibiotics which can be applied, e.g., sprayed, onto transgenic plants. Inducible expression of the pectate lyase-producing nucleic acids of the invention will allow the grower to select plants with the optimal pectate lyase expression and/or activity. The development of plant parts can thus controlled. In this way the invention provides the means to facilitate the harvesting of plants and plant parts. For example, in various embodiments, the maize In2-2 promoter, activated by benzenesulfonamide herbicide safeners, is used (De Veylder (1997) Plant Cell Physiol. 38:568-577); application of different herbicide safeners induces distinct gene expression patterns, including expression in the root, hydathodes, and the shoot apical meristem. Coding sequences of the invention are also under the control of a tetracycline-inducible promoter, e.g., as described with transgenic tobacco plants containing the Avena sativa L. (oat) arginine decarboxylase gene (Masgrau (1997) Plant J. 11:465-473); or, a salicylic acid-responsive element (Stange (1997) Plant J. 11:1315-1324).

If proper polypeptide expression is desired, a polyadenylation region at the 3′-end of the coding region should be included. The polyadenylation region can be derived from the natural gene, from a variety of other plant genes, or from genes in the Agrobacterial T-DNA.

Expression Vectors and Cloning Vehicles

The invention provides expression vectors and cloning vehicles comprising nucleic acids of the invention, e.g., sequences encoding the pectate lyases of the invention. Expression vectors and cloning vehicles of the invention can comprise viral particles, baculovirus, phage, plasmids, phagemids, cosmids, fosmids, bacterial artificial chromosomes, viral DNA (e.g., vaccinia, adenovirus, foul pox virus, pseudorabies and derivatives of SV40), P1-based artificial chromosomes, yeast plasmids, yeast artificial chromosomes, and any other vectors specific for specific hosts of interest (such as bacillus, Aspergillus and yeast). Vectors of the invention can include chromosomal, non-chromosomal and synthetic DNA sequences. Large numbers of suitable vectors are known to those of skill in the art, and are commercially available. Exemplary vectors are include: bacterial: pQE vectors (Qiagen), pBluescript plasmids, pNH vectors, (lambda-ZAP vectors (Stratagene); ptrc99a, pKK223-3, pDR540, pRIT2T (Pharmacia); Eukaryotic: pXT1, pSG5 (Stratagene), pSVK3, pBPV, pMSG, pSVLSV40 (Pharmacia). However, any other plasmid or other vector may be used so long as they are replicable and viable in the host. Low copy number or high copy number vectors may be employed with the present invention.

The expression vector can comprise a promoter, a ribosome binding site for translation initiation and a transcription terminator. The vector may also include appropriate sequences for amplifying expression. Mammalian expression vectors can comprise an origin of replication, any necessary ribosome binding sites, a polyadenylation site, splice donor and acceptor sites, transcriptional termination sequences, and 5′ flanking non-transcribed sequences. In some aspects, DNA sequences derived from the SV40 splice and polyadenylation sites may be used to provide the required non-transcribed genetic elements.

In one aspect, the expression vectors contain one or more selectable marker genes to permit selection of host cells containing the vector. Such selectable markers include genes encoding dihydrofolate reductase or genes conferring neomycin resistance for eukaryotic cell culture, genes conferring tetracycline or ampicillin resistance in E. coli, and the S. cerevisiae TRP1 gene. Promoter regions can be selected from any desired gene using chloramphenicol transferase (CAT) vectors or other vectors with selectable markers.

Vectors for expressing the polypeptide or fragment thereof in eukaryotic cells can also contain enhancers to increase expression levels. Enhancers are cis-acting elements of DNA, usually from about 10 to about 300 bp in length that act on a promoter to increase its transcription. Examples include the SV40 enhancer on the late side of the replication origin bp 100 to 270, the cytomegalovirus early promoter enhancer, the polyoma enhancer on the late side of the replication origin, and the adenovirus enhancers.

A nucleic acid sequence can be inserted into a vector by a variety of procedures. In general, the sequence is ligated to the desired position in the vector following digestion of the insert and the vector with appropriate restriction endonucleases. Alternatively, blunt ends in both the insert and the vector may be ligated. A variety of cloning techniques are known in the art, e.g., as described in Ausubel and Sambrook. Such procedures and others are deemed to be within the scope of those skilled in the art.

The vector can be in the form of a plasmid, a viral particle, or a phage. Other vectors include chromosomal, non-chromosomal and synthetic DNA sequences, derivatives of SV40; bacterial plasmids, phage DNA, baculovirus, yeast plasmids, vectors derived from combinations of plasmids and phage DNA, viral DNA such as vaccinia, adenovirus, fowl pox virus, and pseudorabies. A variety of cloning and expression vectors for use with prokaryotic and eukaryotic hosts are described by, e.g., Sambrook.

Particular bacterial vectors which can be used include the commercially available plasmids comprising genetic elements of the well known cloning vector pBR322 (ATCC 37017), pKK223-3 (Pharmacia Fine Chemicals, Uppsala, Sweden), GEM1 (Promega Biotec, Madison, Wis., USA) pQE70, pQE60, pQE-9 (Qiagen), pD10, psiX174 pBluescript II KS, pNH8A, pNH16a, pNH18A, pNH46A (Stratagene), ptrc99a, pKK223-3, pKK233-3, DR540, pRIT5 (Pharmacia), pKK232-8 and pCM7. Particular eukaryotic vectors include pSV2CAT, pOG44, pXT1, pSG (Stratagene) pSVK3, pBPV, pMSG, and pSVL (Pharmacia). However, any other vector may be used as long as it is replicable and viable in the host cell.

The nucleic acids of the invention can be expressed in expression cassettes, vectors or viruses and transiently or stably expressed in plant cells and seeds. One exemplary transient expression system uses episomal expression systems, e.g., cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) viral RNA generated in the nucleus by transcription of an episomal mini-chromosome containing supercoiled DNA, see, e.g., Covey (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87:1633-1637. Alternatively, coding sequences, i.e., all or sub-fragments of sequences of the invention can be inserted into a plant host cell genome becoming an integral part of the host chromosomal DNA. Sense or antisense transcripts can be expressed in this manner. A vector comprising the sequences (e.g., promoters or coding regions) from nucleic acids of the invention can comprise a marker gene that confers a selectable phenotype on a plant cell or a seed. For example, the marker may encode biocide resistance, particularly antibiotic resistance, such as resistance to kanamycin, G418, bleomycin, hygromycin, or herbicide resistance, such as resistance to chlorosulfuron or Basta.

Expression vectors capable of expressing nucleic acids and proteins in plants are well known in the art, and can include, e.g., vectors from Agrobacterium spp., potato virus X (see, e.g., Angell (1997) EMBO J. 16:3675-3684), tobacco mosaic virus (see, e.g., Casper (1996) Gene 173:69-73), tomato bushy stunt virus (see, e.g., Hillman (1989) Virology 169:42-50), tobacco etch virus (see, e.g., Dolja (1997) Virology 234:243-252), bean golden mosaic virus (see, e.g., Morinaga (1993) Microbiol Immunol. 37:471-476), cauliflower mosaic virus (see, e.g., Cecchini (1997) Mol. Plant Microbe Interact. 10: 1094-1101), maize Ac/Ds transposable element (see, e.g., Rubin (1997) Mol. Cell. Biol. 17:6294-6302; Kunze (1996) Curr. Top. Microbiol. Immunol. 204:161-194), and the maize suppressor-mutator (Spm) transposable element (see, e.g., Schlappi (1996) Plant Mol. Biol. 32:717-725); and derivatives thereof.

In one aspect, the expression vector can have two replication systems to allow it to be maintained in two organisms, for example in mammalian or insect cells for expression and in a prokaryotic host for cloning and amplification. Furthermore, for integrating expression vectors, the expression vector can contain at least one sequence homologous to the host cell genome. It can contain two homologous sequences which flank the expression construct. The integrating vector can be directed to a specific locus in the host cell by selecting the appropriate homologous sequence for inclusion in the vector. Constructs for integrating vectors are well known in the art.

Expression vectors of the invention may also include a selectable marker gene to allow for the selection of bacterial strains that have been transformed, e.g., genes which render the bacteria resistant to drugs such as ampicillin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, kanamycin, neomycin and tetracycline. Selectable markers can also include biosynthetic genes, such as those in the histidine, tryptophan and leucine biosynthetic pathways.

Host Cells and Transformed Cells

The invention also provides a transformed cell comprising a nucleic acid sequence of the invention, e.g., a sequence encoding a pectate lyase of the invention, or a vector of the invention. The host cell may be any of the host cells familiar to those skilled in the art, including prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells, such as bacterial cells, fungal cells, yeast cells, mammalian cells, insect cells, or plant cells. Exemplary bacterial cells include E. coli, Streptomyces, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella typhimurium and various species within the genera Bacillus, Streptomyces, and Staphylococcus. Exemplary insect cells include Drosophila S2 and Spodoptera Sf9. Exemplary yeast cells include Pichia pastoris, Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Exemplary animal cells include CHO, COS or Bowes melanoma or any mouse or human cell line. The selection of an appropriate host is within the abilities of those skilled in the art. Techniques for transforming a wide variety of higher plant species are well known and described in the technical and scientific literature. See, e.g., Weising (1988) Ann. Rev. Genet. 22:421-477, U.S. Pat. No. 5,750,870.

The vector can be introduced into the host cells using any of a variety of techniques, including transformation, transfection, transduction, viral infection, gene guns, or Ti-mediated gene transfer. Particular methods include calcium phosphate transfection, DEAE-Dextran mediated transfection, lipofection, or electroporation (Davis, L., Dibner, M., Battey, I., Basic Methods in Molecular Biology, (1986)).

In one aspect, the nucleic acids or vectors of the invention are introduced into the cells for screening, thus, the nucleic acids enter the cells in a manner suitable for subsequent expression of the nucleic acid. The method of introduction is largely dictated by the targeted cell type. Exemplary methods include CaPO₄ precipitation, liposome fusion, lipofection (e.g., LIPOFECTN™), electroporation, viral infection, etc. The candidate nucleic acids may stably integrate into the genome of the host cell (for example, with retroviral introduction) or may exist either transiently or stably in the cytoplasm (i.e. through the use of traditional plasmids, utilizing standard regulatory sequences, selection markers, etc.). As many pharmaceutically important screens require human or model mammalian cell targets, retroviral vectors capable of transfecting such targets are preferred.

Where appropriate, the engineered host cells can be cultured in conventional nutrient media modified as appropriate for activating promoters, selecting transformants or amplifying the genes of the invention. Following transformation of a suitable host strain and growth of the host strain to an appropriate cell density, the selected promoter may be induced by appropriate means (e.g., temperature shift or chemical induction) and the cells may be cultured for an additional period to allow them to produce the desired polypeptide or fragment thereof.

Cells can be harvested by centrifugation, disrupted by physical or chemical means, and the resulting crude extract is retained for further purification. Microbial cells employed for expression of proteins can be disrupted by any convenient method, including freeze-thaw cycling, sonication, mechanical disruption, or use of cell lysing agents. Such methods are well known to those skilled in the art. The expressed polypeptide or fragment thereof can be recovered and purified from recombinant cell cultures by methods including ammonium sulfate or ethanol precipitation, acid extraction, anion or cation exchange chromatography, phosphocellulose chromatography, hydrophobic interaction chromatography, affinity chromatography, hydroxylapatite chromatography and lectin chromatography. Protein refolding steps can be used, as necessary, in completing configuration of the polypeptide. If desired, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) can be employed for final purification steps.

Various mammalian cell culture systems can also be employed to express recombinant protein. Examples of mammalian expression systems include the COS-7 lines of monkey kidney fibroblasts and other cell lines capable of expressing proteins from a compatible vector, such as the C127, 3T3, CHO, HeLa and BHK cell lines.

The constructs in host cells can be used in a conventional manner to produce the gene product encoded by the recombinant sequence. Depending upon the host employed in a recombinant production procedure, the polypeptides produced by host cells containing the vector may be glycosylated or may be non-glycosylated. Polypeptides of the invention may or may not also include an initial methionine amino acid residue.

Cell-free translation systems can also be employed to produce a polypeptide of the invention. Cell-free translation systems can use mRNAs transcribed from a DNA construct comprising a promoter operably linked to a nucleic acid encoding the polypeptide or fragment thereof. In some aspects, the DNA construct may be linearized prior to conducting an in vitro transcription reaction. The transcribed mRNA is then incubated with an appropriate cell-free translation extract, such as a rabbit reticulocyte extract, to produce the desired polypeptide or fragment thereof.

The expression vectors can contain one or more selectable marker genes to provide a phenotypic trait for selection of transformed host cells such as dihydrofolate reductase or neomycin resistance for eukaryotic cell culture, or such as tetracycline or ampicillin resistance in E. coli.

Amplification of Nucleic Acids

In practicing the invention, nucleic acids of the invention and nucleic acids encoding the pectate lyases of the invention, or modified nucleic acids of the invention, can be reproduced by amplification. Amplification can also be used to clone or modify the nucleic acids of the invention. Thus, the invention provides amplification primer sequence pairs for amplifying nucleic acids of the invention. One of skill in the art can design amplification primer sequence pairs for any part of or the full length of these sequences. In one aspect, the invention provides a nucleic acid amplified by a primer pair of the invention, e.g., a primer pair as set forth by about the first (the 5′) 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, or 25 residues of a nucleic acid of the invention, and about the first (the 5′) 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, or 25 residues of the complementary strand (e.g., of SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:13, SEQ ID NO:15, SEQ ID NO:17, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:21, SEQ ID NO:23, SEQ ID NO:25, SEQ ID NO:27, SEQ ID NO:29, SEQ ID NO:31, SEQ ID NO:33, SEQ ID NO:35, SEQ ID NO:37, SEQ ID NO:39, SEQ ID NO:41, SEQ ID NO:43, SEQ ID NO:45, SEQ ID NO:47, SEQ ID NO:49, SEQ ID NO:51, SEQ ID NO:53, SEQ ID NO:55, SEQ ID NO:57, SEQ ID NO:59, SEQ ID NO:61, SEQ ID NO:63, SEQ ID NO:65, SEQ ID NO:67, SEQ ID NO:69, SEQ ID NO:71, SEQ ID NO:73, SEQ ID NO:75, SEQ ID NO:77, SEQ ID NO:79, SEQ ID NO:81, SEQ ID NO:83, SEQ ID NO:85, SEQ ID NO:87, SEQ ID NO:89, SEQ ID NO:91, SEQ ID NO:93, SEQ ID NO:95, SEQ ID NO:97, SEQ ID NO:99, SEQ ID NO:101, SEQ ID NO:103, SEQ ID NO:105, SEQ ID NO:107, SEQ ID NO:109, SEQ ID NO:111, SEQ ID NO:113, SEQ ID NO:115, SEQ ID NO:117, SEQ ID NO:119, SEQ ID NO:121, SEQ ID NO:123, SEQ ID NO:125, SEQ ID NO:127, SEQ ID NO:129, SEQ ID NO:131, SEQ ID NO:133).

Amplification reactions can also be used to quantify the amount of nucleic acid in a sample (such as the amount of message in a cell sample), label the nucleic acid (e.g., to apply it to an array or a blot), detect the nucleic acid, or quantify the amount of a specific nucleic acid in a sample. In one aspect of the invention, message isolated from a cell or a cDNA library are amplified.

The skilled artisan can select and design suitable oligonucleotide amplification primers. Amplification methods are also well known in the art, and include, e.g., polymerase chain reaction, PCR (see, e.g., PCR PROTOCOLS, A GUIDE TO METHODS AND APPLICATIONS, ed. Innis, Academic Press, N.Y. (1990) and PCR STRATEGIES (1995), ed. Innis, Academic Press, Inc., N.Y., ligase chain reaction (LCR) (see, e.g., Wu (1989) Genomics 4:560; Landegren (1988) Science 241:1077; Barringer (1990) Gene 89:117); transcription amplification (see, e.g., Kwoh (1989) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86:1173); and, self-sustained sequence replication (see, e.g., Guatelli (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87:1874); Q Beta replicase amplification (see, e.g., Smith (1997) J. Clin. Microbiol. 35:1477-1491), automated Q-beta replicase amplification assay (see, e.g., Burg (1996) Mol. Cell. Probes 10:257-271) and other RNA polymerase mediated techniques (e.g., NASBA, Cangene, Mississauga, Ontario); see also Berger (1987) Methods Enzymol. 152:307-316; Sambrook; Ausubel; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,683,195 and 4,683,202; Sooknanan (1995) Biotechnology 13:563-564.

Determining the Degree of Sequence Identity

The invention provides nucleic acids comprising sequences having at least about 50%, 51%, 52%, 53%, 54%, 55%, 56%, 57%, 58%, 59%, 60%, 61%, 62%, 63%, 64%, 65%, 66%, 67%, 68%, 69%, 70%, 71%, 72%, 73%, 74%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or more, or complete (100%) sequence identity to an exemplary nucleic acid of the invention (e.g., SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:13, SEQ ID NO:15, SEQ ID NO:17, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:21, SEQ ID NO:23, SEQ ID NO:25, SEQ ID NO:27, SEQ ID NO:29, SEQ ID NO:31, SEQ ID NO:33, SEQ ID NO:35, SEQ ID NO:37, SEQ ID NO:39, SEQ ID NO:41, SEQ ID NO:43, SEQ ID NO:45, SEQ ID NO:47, SEQ ID NO:49, SEQ ID NO:51, SEQ ID NO:53, SEQ ID NO:55, SEQ ID NO:57, SEQ ID NO:59, SEQ ID NO:61, SEQ ID NO:63, SEQ ID NO:65, SEQ ID NO:67, SEQ ID NO:69, SEQ ID NO:71, SEQ ID NO:73, SEQ ID NO:75, SEQ ID NO:77, SEQ ID NO:79, SEQ ID NO:81, SEQ ID NO:83, SEQ ID NO:85, SEQ ID NO:87, SEQ ID NO:89, SEQ ID NO:91, SEQ ID NO:93, SEQ ID NO:95, SEQ ID NO:97, SEQ ID NO:99, SEQ ID NO:101, SEQ ID NO:103, SEQ ID NO:105, SEQ ID NO:107, SEQ ID NO:109, SEQ ID NO:111, SEQ ID NO:113, SEQ ID NO:115, SEQ ID NO:117, SEQ ID NO:119, SEQ ID NO:121, SEQ ID NO:123, SEQ ID NO:125, SEQ ID NO:127, SEQ ID NO:129, SEQ ID NO:131, SEQ ID NO:133, and nucleic acids encoding SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:12, SEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:16, SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:22, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:26, SEQ ID NO:28, SEQ ID NO:30, SEQ ID NO:32, SEQ ID NO:34, SEQ ID NO:36, SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:40, SEQ ID NO:42, SEQ ID NO:44, SEQ ID NO:46, SEQ ID NO:48, SEQ ID NO:50, SEQ ID NO:52, SEQ ID NO:54, SEQ ID NO:56, SEQ ID NO:58, SEQ ID NO:60, SEQ ID NO:62, SEQ ID NO:64, SEQ ID NO:66, SEQ ID NO:68, SEQ ID NO:70, SEQ ID NO:72, SEQ ID NO:74, SEQ ID NO:76, SEQ ID NO:78, SEQ ID NO:80, SEQ ID NO:82, SEQ ID NO:84, SEQ ID NO:86, SEQ ID NO:88, SEQ ID NO:90, SEQ ID NO:92, SEQ ID NO:94, SEQ ID NO:96, SEQ ID NO:98, SEQ ID NO:100, SEQ ID NO:102, SEQ ID NO:104, SEQ ID NO:106, SEQ ID NO:108, SEQ ID NO:110, SEQ ID NO:112, SEQ ID NO:114, SEQ ID NO:116, SEQ ID NO:118, SEQ ID NO:120, SEQ ID NO:122, SEQ ID NO:124, SEQ ID NO:126, SEQ ID NO:128, SEQ ID NO:130, SEQ ID NO:132, SEQ ID NO:134) over a region of at least about 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750, 800, 850, 900, 950, 1000, 1050, 1100, 1150, 1200, 1250, 1300, 1350, 1400, 1450, 1500, 1550 or more, residues. The invention provides polypeptides comprising sequences having at least about 50%, 51%, 52%, 53%, 54%, 55%, 56%, 57%, 58%, 59%, 60%, 61%, 62%, 63%, 64%, 65%, 66%, 67%, 68%, 69%, 70%, 71%, 72%, 73%, 74%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or more, or complete (100%) sequence identity to an exemplary polypeptide of the invention. The extent of sequence identity (homology) may be determined using any computer program and associated parameters, including those described herein, such as BLAST 2.2.2. or FASTA version 3.0t78, with the default parameters.

Homologous sequences also include RNA sequences in which uridines replace the thymines in the nucleic acid sequences. The homologous sequences may be obtained using any of the procedures described herein or may result from the correction of a sequencing error. It will be appreciated that the nucleic acid sequences as set forth herein can be represented in the traditional single character format (see, e.g., Stryer, Lubert. Biochemistry, 3rd Ed., W. H Freeman & Co., New York) or in any other format which records the identity of the nucleotides in a sequence.

Various sequence comparison programs identified herein are used in this aspect of the invention. Protein and/or nucleic acid sequence identities (homologies) may be evaluated using any of the variety of sequence comparison algorithms and programs known in the art. Such algorithms and programs include, but are not limited to, TBLASTN, BLASTP, FASTA, TFASTA, and CLUSTALW (Pearson and Lipman, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85(8):2444-2448, 1988; Altschul et al., J. Mol. Biol. 215(3):403-410, 1990; Thompson et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 22(2):4673-4680, 1994; Higgins et al., Methods Enzymol. 266:383-402, 1996; Altschul et al., J. Mol. Biol. 215(3):403-410, 1990; Altschul et al., Nature Genetics 3:266-272, 1993).

Homology or identity can be measured using sequence analysis software (e.g., Sequence Analysis Software Package of the Genetics Computer Group, University of Wisconsin Biotechnology Center, 1710 University Avenue, Madison, Wis. 53705). Such software matches similar sequences by assigning degrees of homology to various deletions, substitutions and other modifications. The terms “homology” and “identity” in the context of two or more nucleic acids or polypeptide sequences, refer to two or more sequences or subsequences that are the same or have a specified percentage of amino acid residues or nucleotides that are the same when compared and aligned for maximum correspondence over a comparison window or designated region as measured using any number of sequence comparison algorithms or by manual alignment and visual inspection. For sequence comparison, one sequence can act as a reference sequence, e.g., a sequence of the invention, to which test sequences are compared. When using a sequence comparison algorithm, test and reference sequences are entered into a computer, subsequence coordinates are designated, if necessary, and sequence algorithm program parameters are designated. Default program parameters can be used, or alternative parameters can be designated. The sequence comparison algorithm then calculates the percent sequence identities for the test sequences relative to the reference sequence, based on the program parameters.

A “comparison window”, as used herein, includes reference to a segment of any one of the numbers of contiguous residues. For example, in alternative aspects of the invention, contiguous residues ranging anywhere from 20 to the full length of an exemplary polypeptide or nucleic acid sequence of the invention are compared to a reference sequence of the same number of contiguous positions after the two sequences are optimally aligned. If the reference sequence has the requisite sequence identity to an exemplary polypeptide or nucleic acid sequence of the invention, e.g., 50%, 51%, 52%, 53%, 54%, 55%, 56%, 57%, 58%, 59%, 60%, 61%, 62%, 63%, 64%, 65%, 66%, 67%, 68%, 69%, 70%, 71%, 72%, 73%, 74%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or more sequence identity to a sequence of the invention, that sequence is within the scope of the invention. In alternative embodiments, subsequences ranging from about 20 to 600, about 50 to 200, and about 100 to 150 are compared to a reference sequence of the same number of contiguous positions after the two sequences are optimally aligned. Methods of alignment of sequence for comparison are well known in the art. Optimal alignment of sequences for comparison can be conducted, e.g., by the local homology algorithm of Smith & Waterman, Adv. Appl. Math. 2:482, 1981, by the homology alignment algorithm of Needleman & Wunsch, J. Mol. Biol. 48:443, 1970, by the search for similarity method of person & Lipman, Proc. Nat'l. Acad. Sci. USA 85:2444, 1988, by computerized implementations of these algorithms (GAP, BESTFIT, FASTA, and TFASTA in the Wisconsin Genetics Software Package, Genetics Computer Group, 575 Science Dr., Madison, Wis.), or by manual alignment and visual inspection. Other algorithms for determining homology or identity include, for example, in addition to a BLAST program (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool at the National Center for Biological Information), ALIGN, AMAS (Analysis of Multiply Aligned Sequences), AMPS (Protein Multiple Sequence Alignment), ASSET (Aligned Segment Statistical Evaluation Tool), BANDS, BESTSCOR, BIOSCAN (Biological Sequence Comparative Analysis Node), BLIMPS (BLocks IMProved Searcher), FASTA, Intervals & Points, BMB, CLUSTAL V, CLUSTAL W, CONSENSUS, LCONSENSUS, WCONSENSUS, Smith-Waterman algorithm, DARWIN, Las Vegas algorithm, FNAT (Forced Nucleotide Alignment Tool), Framealign, Framesearch, DYNAMIC, FILTER, FSAP (Fristensky Sequence Analysis Package), GAP (Global Alignment Program), GENAL, GIBBS, GenQuest, ISSC (Sensitive Sequence Comparison), LALIGN (Local Sequence Alignment), LCP (Local Content Program), MACAW (Multiple Alignment Construction & Analysis Workbench), MAP (Multiple Alignment Program), MBLKP, MBLKN, PIMA (Pattern-Induced Multi-sequence Alignment), SAGA (Sequence Alignment by Genetic Algorithm) and WHAT-IF. Such alignment programs can also be used to screen genome databases to identify polynucleotide sequences having substantially identical sequences. A number of genome databases are available, for example, a substantial portion of the human genome is available as part of the Human Genome Sequencing Project (Gibbs, 1995). Several genomes have been sequenced, e.g., M. genitalium (Fraser et al., 1995), M. jannaschii (Bult et al., 1996), H. influenzae (Fleischmann et al., 1995), E. coli (Blattner et al., 1997), and yeast (S. cerevisiae) (Mewes et al., 1997), and D. melanogaster (Adams et al., 2000). Significant progress has also been made in sequencing the genomes of model organism, such as mouse, C. elegans, and Arabadopsis sp. Databases containing genomic information annotated with some functional information are maintained by different organization, and are accessible via the internet.

BLAST, BLAST 2.0 and BLAST 2.2.2 algorithms are also used to practice the invention. They are described, e.g., in Altschul (1977) Nuc. Acids Res. 25:3389-3402; Altschul (1990) J. Mol. Biol. 215:403-410. Software for performing BLAST analyses is publicly available through the National Center for Biotechnology Information. This algorithm involves first identifying high scoring sequence pairs (HSPs) by identifying short words of length W in the query sequence, which either match or satisfy some positive-valued threshold score T when aligned with a word of the same length in a database sequence. T is referred to as the neighborhood word score threshold (Altschul (1990) supra). These initial neighborhood word hits act as seeds for initiating searches to find longer HSPs containing them. The word hits are extended in both directions along each sequence for as far as the cumulative alignment score can be increased. Cumulative scores are calculated using, for nucleotide sequences, the parameters M (reward score for a pair of matching residues; always >0). For amino acid sequences, a scoring matrix is used to calculate the cumulative score. Extension of the word hits in each direction are halted when: the cumulative alignment score falls off by the quantity X from its maximum achieved value; the cumulative score goes to zero or below, due to the accumulation of one or more negative-scoring residue alignments; or the end of either sequence is reached. The BLAST algorithm parameters W, T, and X determine the sensitivity and speed of the alignment. The BLASTN program (for nucleotide sequences) uses as defaults a wordlength (W) of 11, an expectation (E) of 10, M=5, N=−4 and a comparison of both strands. For amino acid sequences, the BLASTP program uses as defaults a wordlength of 3, and expectations (E) of 10, and the BLOSUM62 scoring matrix (see Henikoff & Henikoff (1989) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89:10915) alignments (B) of 50, expectation (E) of 10, M=5, N=−4, and a comparison of both strands. The BLAST algorithm also performs a statistical analysis of the similarity between two sequences (see, e.g., Karlin & Altschul (1993) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90:5873). One measure of similarity provided by BLAST algorithm is the smallest sum probability (P(N)), which provides an indication of the probability by which a match between two nucleotide or amino acid sequences would occur by chance. For example, a nucleic acid is considered similar to a references sequence if the smallest sum probability in a comparison of the test nucleic acid to the reference nucleic acid is less than about 0.2, more preferably less than about 0.01, and most preferably less than about 0.001. In one aspect, protein and nucleic acid sequence homologies are evaluated using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (“BLAST”). For example, five specific BLAST programs can be used to perform the following task: (1) BLASTP and BLAST3 compare an amino acid query sequence against a protein sequence database; (2) BLASTN compares a nucleotide query sequence against a nucleotide sequence database; (3) BLASTX compares the six-frame conceptual translation products of a query nucleotide sequence (both strands) against a protein sequence database; (4) TBLASTN compares a query protein sequence against a nucleotide sequence database translated in all six reading frames (both strands); and, (5) TBLASTX compares the six-frame translations of a nucleotide query sequence against the six-frame translations of a nucleotide sequence database. The BLAST programs identify homologous sequences by identifying similar segments, which are referred to herein as “high-scoring segment pairs,” between a query amino or nucleic acid sequence and a test sequence which is preferably obtained from a protein or nucleic acid sequence database. High-scoring segment pairs are preferably identified (i.e., aligned) by means of a scoring matrix, many of which are known in the art. Preferably, the scoring matrix used is the BLOSUM62 matrix (Gonnet et al., Science 256:1443-1445, 1992; Henikoff and Henikoff, Proteins 17:49-61, 1993). Less preferably, the PAM or PAM250 matrices may also be used (see, e.g., Schwartz and Dayhoff, eds., 1978, Matrices for Detecting Distance Relationships: Atlas of Protein Sequence and Structure, Washington: National Biomedical Research Foundation).

In one aspect of the invention, to determine if a nucleic acid has the requisite sequence identity to be within the scope of the invention, the NCBI BLAST 2.2.2 programs is used, default options to blastp. There are about 38 setting options in the BLAST 2.2.2 program. In this exemplary aspect of the invention, all default values are used except for the default filtering setting (i.e., all parameters set to default except filtering which is set to OFF); in its place a “-F F” setting is used, which disables filtering. Use of default filtering often results in Karlin-Altschul violations due to short length of sequence.

The default values used in this exemplary aspect of the invention include:

-   -   “Filter for low complexity: ON     -   Word Size: 3     -   Matrix: Blosum62     -   Gap Costs: Existence:11     -   Extension:1”

Other default settings can be: filter for low complexity OFF, word size of 3 for protein, BLOSUM62 matrix, gap existence penalty of −11 and a gap extension penalty of −1. An exemplary NCBI BLAST 2.2.2 program setting has the “-W” option default to 0. This means that, if not set, the word size defaults to 3 for proteins and 11 for nucleotides.

Computer Systems and Computer Program Products

To determine and identify sequence identities, structural homologies, motifs and the like in silico, the sequence of the invention can be stored, recorded, and manipulated on any medium which can be read and accessed by a computer. Accordingly, the invention provides computers, computer systems, computer readable mediums, computer programs products and the like recorded or stored thereon the nucleic acid and polypeptide sequences of the invention. As used herein, the words “recorded” and “stored” refer to a process for storing information on a computer medium. A skilled artisan can readily adopt any known methods for recording information on a computer readable medium to generate manufactures comprising one or more of the nucleic acid and/or polypeptide sequences of the invention.

Another aspect of the invention is a computer readable medium having recorded thereon at least one nucleic acid and/or polypeptide sequence of the invention. Computer readable media include magnetically readable media, optically readable media, electronically readable media and magnetic/optical media. For example, the computer readable media may be a hard disk, a floppy disk, a magnetic tape, CD-ROM, Digital Versatile Disk (DVD), Random Access Memory (RAM), or Read Only Memory (ROM) as well as other types of other media known to those skilled in the art.

Aspects of the invention include systems (e.g., internet based systems), particularly computer systems, which store and manipulate the sequences and sequence information described herein. One example of a computer system 100 is illustrated in block diagram form in FIG. 1. As used herein, “a computer system” refers to the hardware components, software components, and data storage components used to analyze a nucleotide or polypeptide sequence of the invention. The computer system 100 can include a processor for processing, accessing and manipulating the sequence data. The processor 105 can be any well-known type of central processing unit, such as, for example, the Pentium III from Intel Corporation, or similar processor from Sun, Motorola, Compaq, AMD or International Business Machines. The computer system 100 is a general purpose system that comprises the processor 105 and one or more internal data storage components 110 for storing data, and one or more data retrieving devices for retrieving the data stored on the data storage components. A skilled artisan can readily appreciate that any one of the currently available computer systems are suitable.

In one aspect, the computer system 100 includes a processor 105 connected to a bus which is connected to a main memory 115 (preferably implemented as RAM) and one or more internal data storage devices 110, such as a hard drive and/or other computer readable media having data recorded thereon. The computer system 100 can further include one or more data retrieving device 118 for reading the data stored on the internal data storage devices 110. The data retrieving device 118 may represent, for example, a floppy disk drive, a compact disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, or a modem capable of connection to a remote data storage system (e.g., via the internet) etc. In some embodiments, the internal data storage device 110 is a removable computer readable medium such as a floppy disk, a compact disk, a magnetic tape, etc. containing control logic and/or data recorded thereon. The computer system 100 may advantageously include or be programmed by appropriate software for reading the control logic and/or the data from the data storage component once inserted in the data retrieving device. The computer system 100 includes a display 120 which is used to display output to a computer user. It should also be noted that the computer system 100 can be linked to other computer systems 125 a-c in a network or wide area network to provide centralized access to the computer system 100. Software for accessing and processing the nucleotide or amino acid sequences of the invention can reside in main memory 115 during execution. In some aspects, the computer system 100 may further comprise a sequence comparison algorithm for comparing a nucleic acid sequence of the invention. The algorithm and sequence(s) can be stored on a computer readable medium. A “sequence comparison algorithm” refers to one or more programs which are implemented (locally or remotely) on the computer system 100 to compare a nucleotide sequence with other nucleotide sequences and/or compounds stored within a data storage means. For example, the sequence comparison algorithm may compare the nucleotide sequences of the invention stored on a computer readable medium to reference sequences stored on a computer readable medium to identify homologies or structural motifs.

The parameters used with the above algorithms may be adapted depending on the sequence length and degree of homology studied. In some aspects, the parameters may be the default parameters used by the algorithms in the absence of instructions from the user. FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating one aspect of a process 200 for comparing a new nucleotide or protein sequence with a database of sequences in order to determine the homology levels between the new sequence and the sequences in the database. The database of sequences can be a private database stored within the computer system 100, or a public database such as GENBANK that is available through the Internet. The process 200 begins at a start state 201 and then moves to a state 202 wherein the new sequence to be compared is stored to a memory in a computer system 100. As discussed above, the memory could be any type of memory, including RAM or an internal storage device. The process 200 then moves to a state 204 wherein a database of sequences is opened for analysis and comparison. The process 200 then moves to a state 206 wherein the first sequence stored in the database is read into a memory on the computer. A comparison is then performed at a state 210 to determine if the first sequence is the same as the second sequence. It is important to note that this step is not limited to performing an exact comparison between the new sequence and the first sequence in the database. Well-known methods are known to those of skill in the art for comparing two nucleotide or protein sequences, even if they are not identical. For example, gaps can be introduced into one sequence in order to raise the homology level between the two tested sequences. The parameters that control whether gaps or other features are introduced into a sequence during comparison are normally entered by the user of the computer system. Once a comparison of the two sequences has been performed at the state 210, a determination is made at a decision state 210 whether the two sequences are the same. Of course, the term “same” is not limited to sequences that are absolutely identical. Sequences that are within the homology parameters entered by the user will be marked as “same” in the process 200. If a determination is made that the two sequences are the same, the process 200 moves to a state 214 wherein the name of the sequence from the database is displayed to the user. This state notifies the user that the sequence with the displayed name fulfills the homology constraints that were entered. Once the name of the stored sequence is displayed to the user, the process 200 moves to a decision state 218 wherein a determination is made whether more sequences exist in the database. If no more sequences exist in the database, then the process 200 terminates at an end state 220. However, if more sequences do exist in the database, then the process 200 moves to a state 224 wherein a pointer is moved to the next sequence in the database so that it can be compared to the new sequence. In this manner, the new sequence is aligned and compared with every sequence in the database. It should be noted that if a determination had been made at the decision state 212 that the sequences were not homologous, then the process 200 would move immediately to the decision state 218 in order to determine if any other sequences were available in the database for comparison. Accordingly, one aspect of the invention is a computer system comprising a processor, a data storage device having stored thereon a nucleic acid sequence of the invention and a sequence comparer for conducting the comparison. The sequence comparer may indicate a homology level between the sequences compared or identify structural motifs, or it may identify structural motifs in sequences which are compared to these nucleic acid codes and polypeptide codes. FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a process 250 in a computer for determining whether two sequences are homologous. The process 250 begins at a start state 252 and then moves to a state 254 wherein a first sequence to be compared is stored to a memory. The second sequence to be compared is then stored to a memory at a state 256. The process 250 then moves to a state 260 wherein the first character in the first sequence is read and then to a state 262 wherein the first character of the second sequence is read. It should be understood that if the sequence is a nucleotide sequence, then the character would normally be either A, T, C, G or U. If the sequence is a protein sequence, then it can be a single letter amino acid code so that the first and sequence sequences can be easily compared. A determination is then made at a decision state 264 whether the two characters are the same. If they are the same, then the process 250 moves to a state 268 wherein the next characters in the first and second sequences are read A determination is then made whether the next characters are the same. If they are, then the process 250 continues this loop until two characters are not the same. If a determination is made that the next two characters are not the same, the process 250 moves to a decision state 274 to determine whether there are any more characters either sequence to read. If there are not any more characters to read, then the process 250 moves to a state 276 wherein the level of homology between the first and second sequences is displayed to the user. The level of homology is determined by calculating the proportion of characters between the sequences that were the same out of the total number of sequences in the first sequence. Thus, if every character in a first 100 nucleotide sequence aligned with an every character in a second sequence, the homology level would be 100%.

Alternatively, the computer program can compare a reference sequence to a sequence of the invention to determine whether the sequences differ at one or more positions. The program can record the length and identity of inserted, deleted or substituted nucleotides or amino acid residues with respect to the sequence of either the reference or the invention. The computer program may be a program which determines whether a reference sequence contains a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with respect to a sequence of the invention, or, whether a sequence of the invention comprises a SNP of a known sequence. Thus, in some aspects, the computer program is a program which identifies SNPs. The method may be implemented by the computer systems described above and the method illustrated in FIG. 3. The method can be performed by reading a sequence of the invention and the reference sequences through the use of the computer program and identifying differences with the computer program.

In other aspects the computer based system comprises an identifier for identifying features within a nucleic acid or polypeptide of the invention. An “identifier” refers to one or more programs which identifies certain features within a nucleic acid sequence. For example, an identifier may comprise a program which identifies an open reading frame (ORF) in a nucleic acid sequence. FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating one aspect of an identifier process 300 for detecting the presence of a feature in a sequence. The process 300 begins at a start state 302 and then moves to a state 304 wherein a first sequence that is to be checked for features is stored to a memory 115 in the computer system 100. The process 300 then moves to a state 306 wherein a database of sequence features is opened. Such a database would include a list of each feature's attributes along with the name of the feature. For example, a feature name could be “Initiation Codon” and the attribute would be “ATG”. Another example would be the feature name “TAATAA Box” and the feature attribute would be “TAATAA”. An example of such a database is produced by the University of Wisconsin Genetics Computer Group. Alternatively, the features may be structural polypeptide motifs such as alpha helices, beta sheets, or functional polypeptide motifs such as enzymatic active sites, helix-turn-helix motifs or other motifs known to those skilled in the art. Once the database of features is opened at the state 306, the process 300 moves to a state 308 wherein the first feature is read from the database. A comparison of the attribute of the first feature with the first sequence is then made at a state 310. A determination is then made at a decision state 316 whether the attribute of the feature was found in the first sequence. If the attribute was found, then the process 300 moves to a state 318 wherein the name of the found feature is displayed to the user. The process 300 then moves to a decision state 320 wherein a determination is made whether move features exist in the database. If no more features do exist, then the process 300 terminates at an end state 324. However, if more features do exist in the database, then the process 300 reads the next sequence feature at a state 326 and loops back to the state 310 wherein the attribute of the next feature is compared against the first sequence. If the feature attribute is not found in the first sequence at the decision state 316, the process 300 moves directly to the decision state 320 in order to determine if any more features exist in the database. Thus, in one aspect, the invention provides a computer program that identifies open reading frames (ORFs).

A polypeptide or nucleic acid sequence of the invention can be stored and manipulated in a variety of data processor programs in a variety of formats. For example, a sequence can be stored as text in a word processing file, such as MicrosoftWORD or WORDPERFECT or as an ASCII file in a variety of database programs familiar to those of skill in the art, such as DB2, SYBASE, or ORACLE. In addition, many computer programs and databases may be used as sequence comparison algorithms, identifiers, or sources of reference nucleotide sequences or polypeptide sequences to be compared to a nucleic acid sequence of the invention. The programs and databases used to practice the invention include, but are not limited to: MacPattern (EMBL), DiscoveryBase (Molecular Applications Group), GeneMine (Molecular Applications Group), Look (Molecular Applications Group), MacLook (Molecular Applications Group), BLAST and BLAST2 (NCBI), BLASTN and BLASTX (Altschul et al, J. Mol. Biol. 215: 403, 1990), FASTA (Pearson and Lipman, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 85: 2444, 1988), FASTDB (Brutlag et al. Comp. App. Biosci. 6:237-245, 1990), Catalyst (Molecular Simulations Inc.), Catalyst/SHAPE (Molecular Simulations Inc.), Cerius2.DBAccess (Molecular Simulations Inc.), HypoGen (Molecular Simulations Inc.), Insight II, (Molecular Simulations Inc.), Discover (Molecular Simulations Inc.), CHARMm (Molecular Simulations Inc.), Felix (Molecular Simulations Inc.), DelPhi, (Molecular Simulations Inc.), QuanteMM, (Molecular Simulations Inc.), Homology (Molecular Simulations Inc.), Modeler (Molecular Simulations Inc.), ISIS (Molecular Simulations Inc.), Quanta/Protein Design (Molecular Simulations Inc.), WebLab (Molecular Simulations Inc.), WebLab Diversity Explorer (Molecular Simulations Inc.), Gene Explorer (Molecular Simulations Inc.), SeqFold (Molecular Simulations Inc.), the MDL Available Chemicals Directory database, the MDL Drug Data Report data base, the Comprehensive Medicinal Chemistry database, Derwent's World Drug Index database, the BioByteMasterFile database, the Genbank database, and the Genseqn database. Many other programs and data bases would be apparent to one of skill in the art given the present disclosure.

Motifs which may be detected using the above programs include sequences encoding leucine zippers, helix-turn-helix motifs, glycosylation sites, ubiquitination sites, alpha helices, and beta sheets, signal sequences encoding signal peptides which direct the secretion of the encoded proteins, sequences implicated in transcription regulation such as homeoboxes, acidic stretches, enzymatic active sites, substrate binding sites, and enzymatic cleavage sites.

Hybridization of Nucleic Acids

The invention provides isolated or recombinant nucleic acids that hybridize under stringent conditions to an exemplary sequence of the invention (e.g., SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:13, SEQ ID NO:15, SEQ ID NO:17, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:21, SEQ ID NO:23, SEQ ID NO:25, SEQ ID NO:27, SEQ ID NO:29, SEQ ID NO:31, SEQ ID NO:33, SEQ ID NO:35, SEQ ID NO:37, SEQ ID NO:39, SEQ ID NO:41, SEQ ID NO:43, SEQ ID NO:45, SEQ ID NO:47, SEQ ID NO:49, SEQ ID NO:51, SEQ ID NO:53, SEQ ID NO:55, SEQ ID NO:57, SEQ ID NO:59, SEQ ID NO:61, SEQ ID NO:63, SEQ ID NO:65, SEQ ID NO:67, SEQ ID NO:69, SEQ ID NO:71, SEQ ID NO:73, SEQ ID NO:75, SEQ ID NO:77, SEQ ID NO:79, SEQ ID NO:81, SEQ ID NO:83, SEQ ID NO:85, SEQ ID NO:87, SEQ ID NO:89, SEQ ID NO:91, SEQ ID NO:93, SEQ ID NO:95, SEQ ID NO:97, SEQ ID NO:99, SEQ ID NO:101, SEQ ID NO:103, SEQ ID NO:105, SEQ ID NO:107, SEQ ID NO:109, SEQ ID NO:111, SEQ ID NO:113, SEQ ID NO:115, SEQ ID NO:117, SEQ ID NO:119, SEQ ID NO:121, SEQ ID NO:123, SEQ ID NO:125, SEQ ID NO:127, SEQ ID NO:129, SEQ ID NO:131, SEQ ID NO:133), or a nucleic acid that encodes a polypeptide of the invention (e.g., SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:12, SEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:16, SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:22, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:26, SEQ ID NO:28, SEQ ID NO:30, SEQ ID NO:32, SEQ ID NO:34, SEQ ID NO:36, SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:40, SEQ ID NO:42, SEQ ID NO:44, SEQ ID NO:46, SEQ ID NO:48, SEQ ID NO:50, SEQ ID NO:52, SEQ ID NO:54, SEQ ID NO:56, SEQ ID NO:58, SEQ ID NO:60, SEQ ID NO:62, SEQ ID NO:64, SEQ ID NO:66, SEQ ID NO:68, SEQ ID NO:70, SEQ ID NO:72, SEQ ID NO:74, SEQ ID NO:76, SEQ ID NO:78, SEQ ID NO:80, SEQ ID NO:82, SEQ ID NO:84, SEQ ID NO:86, SEQ ID NO:88, SEQ ID NO:90, SEQ ID NO:92, SEQ ID NO:94, SEQ ID NO:96, SEQ ID NO:98, SEQ ID NO:100, SEQ ID NO:102, SEQ ID NO:104, SEQ ID NO:106, SEQ ID NO:108, SEQ ID NO:110, SEQ ID NO:112, SEQ ID NO:114, SEQ ID NO:116, SEQ ID NO:118, SEQ ID NO:120, SEQ ID NO:122, SEQ ID NO:124, SEQ ID NO:126, SEQ ID NO:128, SEQ ID NO:130, SEQ ID NO:132, SEQ ID NO:134). The stringent conditions can be highly stringent conditions, medium stringent conditions and/or low stringent conditions, including the high and reduced stringency conditions described herein. In one aspect, it is the stringency of the wash conditions that set forth the conditions which determine whether a nucleic acid is within the scope of the invention, as discussed below.

In alternative embodiments, nucleic acids of the invention as defined by their ability to hybridize under stringent conditions can be between about five residues and the full length of nucleic acid of the invention; e.g., they can be at least 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 90, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750, 800, 850, 900, 950, 1000, or more, residues in length. Nucleic acids shorter than full length are also included. These nucleic acids can be useful as, e.g., hybridization probes, labeling probes, PCR oligonucleotide probes, IRNA, antisense or sequences encoding antibody binding peptides (epitopes), motifs, active sites and the like.

In one aspect, nucleic acids of the invention are defined by their ability to hybridize under high stringency comprises conditions of about 50% formamide at about 37° C. to 42° C. In one aspect, nucleic acids of the invention are defined by their ability to hybridize under reduced stringency comprising conditions in about 35% to 25% formamide at about 30° C. to 35° C.

Alternatively, nucleic acids of the invention are defined by their ability to hybridize under high stringency comprising conditions at 42° C. in 50% formamide, 5×SSPE, 0.3% SDS, and a repetitive sequence blocking nucleic acid, such as cot-1 or salmon sperm DNA (e.g., 200 n/ml sheared and denatured salmon sperm DNA). In one aspect, nucleic acids of the invention are defined by their ability to hybridize under reduced stringency conditions comprising 35% formamide at a reduced temperature of 35° C.

Following hybridization, the filter may be washed with 6×SSC, 0.5% SDS at 50° C. These conditions are considered to be “moderate” conditions above 25% formamide and “low” conditions below 25% formamide. A specific example of “moderate” hybridization conditions is when the above hybridization is conducted at 30% formamide. A specific example of “low stringency” hybridization conditions is when the above hybridization is conducted at 10% formamide.

The temperature range corresponding to a particular level of stringency can be further narrowed by calculating the purine to pyrimidine ratio of the nucleic acid of interest and adjusting the temperature accordingly. Nucleic acids of the invention are also defined by their ability to hybridize under high, medium, and low stringency conditions as set forth in Ausubel and Sambrook. Variations on the above ranges and conditions are well known in the art. Hybridization conditions are discussed further, below.

The above procedure may be modified to identify nucleic acids having decreasing levels of homology to the probe sequence. For example, to obtain nucleic acids of decreasing homology to the detectable probe, less stringent conditions may be used. For example, the hybridization temperature may be decreased in increments of 5° C. from 68° C. to 42° C. in a hybridization buffer having a Na⁺ concentration of approximately 1M. Following hybridization, the filter may be washed with 2×SSC, 0.5% SDS at the temperature of hybridization. These conditions are considered to be “moderate” conditions above 50° C. and “low” conditions below 50° C. A specific example of “moderate” hybridization conditions is when the above hybridization is conducted at 55° C. A specific example of “low stringency” hybridization conditions is when the above hybridization is conducted at 45° C.

Alternatively, the hybridization may be carried out in buffers, such as 6×SSC, containing formamide at a temperature of 42° C. In this case, the concentration of formamide in the hybridization buffer may be reduced in 5% increments from 50% to 0% to identify clones having decreasing levels of homology to the probe. Following hybridization, the filter may be washed with 6×SSC, 0.5% SDS at 50° C. These conditions are considered to be “moderate” conditions above 25% formamide and “low” conditions below 25% formamide. A specific example of “moderate” hybridization conditions is when the above hybridization is conducted at 30% formamide. A specific example of “low stringency” hybridization conditions is when the above hybridization is conducted at 10% formamide.

However, the selection of a hybridization format is not critical—it is the stringency of the wash conditions that set forth the conditions which determine whether a nucleic acid is within the scope of the invention. Wash conditions used to identify nucleic acids within the scope of the invention include, e.g.: a salt concentration of about 0.02 molar at pH 7 and a temperature of at least about 50° C. or about 55° C. to about 60° C.; or, a salt concentration of about 0.15 M NaCl at 72° C. for about 15 minutes; or, a salt concentration of about 0.2×SSC at a temperature of at least about 50° C. or about 55° C. to about 60° C. for about 15 to about 20 minutes; or, the hybridization complex is washed twice with a solution with a salt concentration of about 2×SSC containing 0.1% SDS at room temperature for 15 minutes and then washed twice by 0.1×SSC containing 0.1% SDS at 68° C. for 15 minutes; or, equivalent conditions. See Sambrook, Tijssen and Ausubel for a description of SSC buffer and equivalent conditions.

These methods may be used to isolate nucleic acids of the invention.

Oligonucleotides Probes and Methods for Using Them

The invention also provides nucleic acid probes that can be used, e.g., for identifying nucleic acids encoding a polypeptide with a pectate lyase activity or fragments thereof or for identifying pectate lyase genes. In one aspect, the probe comprises at least 10 consecutive bases of a nucleic acid of the invention. Alternatively, a probe of the invention can be at least about 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 150 or about 10 to 50, about 20 to 60 about 30 to 70, consecutive bases of a sequence as set forth in a nucleic acid of the invention. The probes identify a nucleic acid by binding and/or hybridization. The probes can be used in arrays of the invention, see discussion below, including, e.g., capillary arrays. The probes of the invention can also be used to isolate other nucleic acids or polypeptides.

The probes of the invention can be used to determine whether a biological sample, such as a soil sample, contains an organism having a nucleic acid sequence of the invention or an organism from which the nucleic acid was obtained. In such procedures, a biological sample potentially harboring the organism from which the nucleic acid was isolated is obtained and nucleic acids are obtained from the sample. The nucleic acids are contacted with the probe under conditions which permit the probe to specifically hybridize to any complementary sequences present in the sample. Where necessary, conditions which permit the probe to specifically hybridize to complementary sequences may be determined by placing the probe in contact with complementary sequences from samples known to contain the complementary sequence, as well as control sequences which do not contain the complementary sequence. Hybridization conditions, such as the salt concentration of the hybridization buffer, the formamide concentration of the hybridization buffer, or the hybridization temperature, may be varied to identify conditions which allow the probe to hybridize specifically to complementary nucleic acids (see discussion on specific hybridization conditions).

If the sample contains the organism from which the nucleic acid was isolated, specific hybridization of the probe is then detected. Hybridization may be detected by labeling the probe with a detectable agent such as a radioactive isotope, a fluorescent dye or an enzyme capable of catalyzing the formation of a detectable product. Many methods for using the labeled probes to detect the presence of complementary nucleic acids in a sample are familiar to those skilled in the art. These include Southern Blots, Northern Blots, colony hybridization procedures, and dot blots. Protocols for each of these procedures are provided in Ausubel and Sambrook.

Alternatively, more than one probe (at least one of which is capable of specifically hybridizing to any complementary sequences which are present in the nucleic acid sample), may be used in an amplification reaction to determine whether the sample contains an organism containing a nucleic acid sequence of the invention (e.g., an organism from which the nucleic acid was isolated). In one aspect, the probes comprise oligonucleotides. In one aspect, the amplification reaction may comprise a PCR reaction. PCR protocols are described in Ausubel and Sambrook (see discussion on amplification reactions). In such procedures, the nucleic acids in the sample are contacted with the probes, the amplification reaction is performed, and any resulting amplification product is detected. The amplification product may be detected by performing gel electrophoresis on the reaction products and staining the gel with an intercalator such as ethidium bromide. Alternatively, one or more of the probes may be labeled with a radioactive isotope and the presence of a radioactive amplification product may be detected by autoradiography after gel electrophoresis.

Probes derived from sequences near the 3′ or 5′ ends of a nucleic acid sequence of the invention can also be used in chromosome walking procedures to identify clones containing additional, e.g., genomic sequences. Such methods allow the isolation of genes which encode additional proteins of interest from the host organism.

In one aspect, nucleic acid sequences of the invention are used as probes to identify and isolate related nucleic acids. In some aspects, the so-identified related nucleic acids may be cDNAs or genomic DNAs from organisms other than the one from which the nucleic acid of the invention was first isolated. In such procedures, a nucleic acid sample is contacted with the probe under conditions which permit the probe to specifically hybridize to related sequences. Hybridization of the probe to nucleic acids from the related organism is then detected using any of the methods described above.

In nucleic acid hybridization reactions, the conditions used to achieve a particular level of stringency can vary, depending on the nature of the nucleic acids being hybridized. For example, the length, degree of complementarity, nucleotide sequence composition (e.g., GC v. AT content), and nucleic acid type (e.g., RNA v. DNA) of the hybridizing regions of the nucleic acids can be considered in selecting hybridization conditions. An additional consideration is whether one of the nucleic acids is immobilized, for example, on a filter. Hybridization can be carried out under conditions of low stringency, moderate stringency or high stringency. As an example of nucleic acid hybridization, a polymer membrane containing immobilized denatured nucleic acids is first prehybridized for 30 minutes at 45° C. in a solution consisting of 0.9 M NaCl, 50 mM NaH₂PO4, pH 7.0, 5.0 mM Na₂EDTA, 0.5% SDS, 10× Denhardt's, and 0.5 mg/ml polyriboadenylic acid. Approximately 2×10⁷ cpm (specific activity 4-9×10⁸ cpm/ug) of ³²P end-labeled oligonucleotide probe can then added to the solution. After 12-16 hours of incubation, the membrane is washed for 30 minutes at room temperature (RT) in 1×SET (150 mM NaCl, 20 mM Tris hydrochloride, pH 7.8, 1 mM Na₂EDTA) containing 0.5% SDS, followed by a 30 minute wash in fresh 1×SET at Tm−10° C. for the oligonucleotide probe. The membrane is then exposed to auto-radiographic film for detection of hybridization signals.

By varying the stringency of the hybridization conditions used to identify nucleic acids, such as cDNAs or genomic DNAs, which hybridize to the detectable probe, nucleic acids having different levels of homology to the probe can be identified and isolated. Stringency may be varied by conducting the hybridization at varying temperatures below the melting temperatures of the probes. The melting temperature, Tm, is the temperature (under defined ionic strength and pH) at which 50% of the target sequence hybridizes to a perfectly complementary probe. Very stringent conditions are selected to be equal to or about 5° C. lower than the Tm for a particular probe. The melting temperature of the probe may be calculated using the following exemplary formulas. For probes between 14 and 70 nucleotides in length the melting temperature (Tm) is calculated using the formula: Tm=81.5+16.6(log [Na+])+0.41(fraction G+C)−(600/N) where N is the length of the probe. If the hybridization is carried out in a solution containing formamide, the melting temperature may be calculated using the equation: Tm=81.5+16.6(log [Na+])+0.41(fraction G+C)−(0.63% formamide)−(600/N) where N is the length of the probe. Prehybridization may be carried out in 6×SSC, 5× Denhardt's reagent, 0.5% SDS, 100 μg denatured fragmented salmon sperm DNA or 6×SSC, 5× Denhardt's reagent, 0.5% SDS, 100 μg denatured fragmented salmon sperm DNA, 50% formamide. Formulas for SSC and Denhardt's and other solutions are listed, e.g., in Sambrook.

Hybridization is conducted by adding the detectable probe to the prehybridization solutions listed above. Where the probe comprises double stranded DNA, it is denatured before addition to the hybridization solution. The filter is contacted with the hybridization solution for a sufficient period of time to allow the probe to hybridize to cDNAs or genomic DNAs containing sequences complementary thereto or homologous thereto. For probes over 200 nucleotides in length, the hybridization may be carried out at 15-25° C. below the Tm. For shorter probes, such as oligonucleotide probes, the hybridization may be conducted at 5-10° C. below the Tm. In one aspect, hybridizations in 6×SSC are conducted at approximately 68° C. In one aspect, hybridizations in 50% formamide containing solutions are conducted at approximately 42° C. All of the foregoing hybridizations would be considered to be under conditions of high stringency.

Following hybridization, the filter is washed to remove any non-specifically bound detectable probe. The stringency used to wash the filters can also be varied depending on the nature of the nucleic acids being hybridized, the length of the nucleic acids being hybridized, the degree of complementarity, the nucleotide sequence composition (e.g., GC v. AT content), and the nucleic acid type (e.g., RNA v. DNA). Examples of progressively higher stringency condition washes are as follows: 2×SSC, 0.1% SDS at room temperature for 15 minutes (low stringency); 0.1×SSC, 0.5% SDS at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour (moderate stringency); 0.1×SSC, 0.5% SDS for 15 to 30 minutes at between the hybridization temperature and 68° C. (high stringency); and 0.15 M NaCl for 15 minutes at 72° C. (very high stringency). A final low stringency wash can be conducted in 0.1×SSC at room temperature. The examples above are merely illustrative of one set of conditions that can be used to wash filters. One of skill in the art would know that there are numerous recipes for different stringency washes.

Nucleic acids which have hybridized to the probe can be identified by autoradiography or other conventional techniques. The above procedure may be modified to identify nucleic acids having decreasing levels of homology to the probe sequence. For example, to obtain nucleic acids of decreasing homology to the detectable probe, less stringent conditions may be used. For example, the hybridization temperature may be decreased in increments of 5° C. from 68° C. to 42° C. in a hybridization buffer having a Na+ concentration of approximately 1M. Following hybridization, the filter may be washed with 2×SSC, 0.5% SDS at the temperature of hybridization. These conditions are considered to be “moderate” conditions above 50° C. and “low” conditions below 50° C. An example of “moderate” hybridization conditions is when the above hybridization is conducted at 55° C. An example of “low stringency” hybridization conditions is when the above hybridization is conducted at 45° C.

Alternatively, the hybridization may be carried out in buffers, such as 6×SSC, containing formamide at a temperature of 42° C. In this case, the concentration of formamide in the hybridization buffer may be reduced in 5% increments from 50% to 0% to identify clones having decreasing levels of homology to the probe. Following hybridization, the filter may be washed with 6×SSC, 0.5% SDS at 50° C. These conditions are considered to be “moderate” conditions above 25% formamide and “low” conditions below 25% formamide. A specific example of “moderate” hybridization conditions is when the above hybridization is conducted at 30% formamide. A specific example of “low stringency” hybridization conditions is when the above hybridization is conducted at 10% formamide.

These probes and methods of the invention can be used to isolate nucleic acids having a sequence with at least about 99%, 98%, 97%, at least 95%, at least 90%, at least 85%, at least 80%, at least 75%, at least 70%, at least 65%, at least 60%, at least 55%, or at least 50% homology to a nucleic acid sequence of the invention comprising at least about 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750, 800, 850, 900, 950, 1000, or more consecutive bases thereof, and the sequences complementary thereto. Homology may be measured using an alignment algorithm, as discussed herein. For example, the homologous polynucleotides may have a coding sequence which is a naturally occurring allelic variant of one of the coding sequences described herein. Such allelic variants may have a substitution, deletion or addition of one or more nucleotides when compared to a nucleic acid of the invention.

Additionally, the probes and methods of the invention can be used to isolate nucleic acids which encode polypeptides having at least about 99%, at least 95%, at least 90%, at least 85%, at least 80%, at least 75%, at least 70%, at least 65%, at least 60%, at least 55%, or at least 50% sequence identity (homology) to a polypeptide of the invention comprising at least 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, or 150 consecutive amino acids, as determined using a sequence alignment algorithm (e.g., such as the FASTA version 3.0t78 algorithm with the default parameters, or a BLAST 2.2.2 program with exemplary settings as set forth herein).

Inhibiting Expression of Pectate Lyase

The invention provides nucleic acids complementary to (e.g., antisense sequences to) the nucleic acid sequences of the invention. Antisense sequences are capable of inhibiting the transport, splicing or transcription of pectate lyase-encoding genes. The inhibition can be effected through the targeting of genomic DNA or messenger RNA. The transcription or function of targeted nucleic acid can be inhibited, for example, by hybridization and/or cleavage. One particularly useful set of inhibitors provided by the present invention includes oligonucleotides which are able to either bind pectate lyase gene or message, in either case preventing or inhibiting the production or function of pectate lyase. The association can be through sequence specific hybridization. Another useful class of inhibitors includes oligonucleotides which cause inactivation or cleavage of pectate lyase message. The oligonucleotide can have enzyme activity which causes such cleavage, such as ribozymes. The oligonucleotide can be chemically modified or conjugated to an enzyme or composition capable of cleaving the complementary nucleic acid. A pool of many different such oligonucleotides can be screened for those with the desired activity. Thus, the invention provides various compositions for the inhibition of pectate lyase expression on a nucleic acid and/or protein level, e.g., antisense, iRNA and ribozymes comprising pectate lyase sequences of the invention and the anti-pectate lyase antibodies of the invention.

Inhibition of pectate lyase expression can have a variety of industrial applications. For example, inhibition of pectate lyase expression can slow or prevent “soft-rot” spoilage. “Soft-rot” spoilage occurs when pectin, a major structural polysaccharide in the plant cell wall, is enzymatically degraded. This can lead to the deterioration, or rot, of fruits and vegetables. In one aspect, use of compositions of the invention that inhibit the expression and/or activity of pectate lyases, e.g., antibodies, antisense oligonucleotides, ribozymes and RNAi, are used to slow or prevent “soft-rot” spoilage. Thus, in one aspect, the invention provides methods and compositions comprising application onto a plant or plant product (e.g., a fruit, seed, root, leaf, etc.) antibodies, antisense oligonucleotides, ribozymes and RNAi of the invention to slow or prevent “soft-rot” spoilage. These compositions also can be expressed by the plant (e.g., a transgenic plant) or another organism (e.g., a bacterium or other microorganism transformed with a pectate lyase gene of the invention).

Inhibition of pectate lyase expression also can prevent or slow the normal growth of the powdery mildew pathogen Erysiphe cichoracearum. This powdery mildew resistance represents a form of disease resistance based on the loss of a gene required during a compatible interaction rather than the activation of known host defense pathways. See, e.g., Vogel (2002) Plant Cell 14:2095-2106. Thus, in one aspect, the invention provides methods and compositions comprising application onto a plant or plant product (e.g., a fruit, seed, root, leaf, etc.) antibodies, antisense oligonucleotides, ribozymes and RNAi of the invention to slow or prevent growth of the powdery mildew pathogen.

Antisense Oligonucleotides

The invention provides antisense oligonucleotides capable of binding pectate lyase message which can inhibit proteolytic activity by targeting mRNA. Strategies for designing antisense oligonucleotides are well described in the scientific and patent literature, and the skilled artisan can design such pectate lyase oligonucleotides using the novel reagents of the invention. For example, gene walking/RNA mapping protocols to screen for effective antisense oligonucleotides are well known in the art, see, e.g., Ho (2000) Methods Enzymol. 314:168-183, describing an RNA mapping assay, which is based on standard molecular techniques to provide an easy and reliable method for potent antisense sequence selection. See also Smith (2000) Eur. J. Pharm. Sci. 11:191-198.

Naturally occurring nucleic acids are used as antisense oligonucleotides. The antisense oligonucleotides can be of any length; for example, in alternative aspects, the antisense oligonucleotides are between about 5 to 100, about 10 to 80, about 15 to 60, about 18 to 40. The optimal length can be determined by routine screening. The antisense oligonucleotides can be present at any concentration. The optimal concentration can be determined by routine screening. A wide variety of synthetic, non-naturally occurring nucleotide and nucleic acid analogues are known which can address this potential problem. For example, peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) containing non-ionic backbones, such as N-(2-aminoethyl) glycine units can be used. Antisense oligonucleotides having phosphorothioate linkages can also be used, as described in WO 97/03211; WO 96/39154; Mata (1997) Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 144:189-197; Antisense Therapeutics, ed. Agrawal (Humana Press, Totowa, N.J., 1996). Antisense oligonucleotides having synthetic DNA backbone analogues provided by the invention can also include phosphoro-dithioate, methylphosphonate, phosphoramidate, alkyl phosphotriester, sulfamate, 3′-thioacetal, methylene(methylimino), 3′-N-carbamate, and morpholino carbamate nucleic acids, as described above.

Combinatorial chemistry methodology can be used to create vast numbers of oligonucleotides that can be rapidly screened for specific oligonucleotides that have appropriate binding affinities and specificities toward any target, such as the sense and antisense pectate lyase sequences of the invention (see, e.g., Gold (1995) J. of Biol. Chem. 270:13581-13584).

Inhibitory Riboymes

The invention provides ribozymes capable of binding pectate lyase message. These ribozymes can inhibit pectate lyase activity by, e.g., targeting mRNA. Strategies for designing ribozymes and selecting the pectate lyase-specific antisense sequence for targeting are well described in the scientific and patent literature, and the skilled artisan can design such ribozymes using the novel reagents of the invention. Ribozymes act by binding to a target RNA through the target RNA binding portion of a ribozyme which is held in close proximity to an enzymatic portion of the RNA that cleaves the target RNA. Thus, the ribozyme recognizes and binds a target RNA through complementary base-pairing, and once bound to the correct site, acts enzymatically to cleave and inactivate the target RNA. Cleavage of a target RNA in such a manner will destroy its ability to direct synthesis of an encoded protein if the cleavage occurs in the coding sequence. After a ribozyme has bound and cleaved its RNA target, it can be released from that RNA to bind and cleave new targets repeatedly.

In some circumstances, the enzymatic nature of a ribozyme can be advantageous over other technologies, such as antisense technology (where a nucleic acid molecule simply binds to a nucleic acid target to block its transcription, translation or association with another molecule) as the effective concentration of ribozyme necessary to effect a therapeutic treatment can be lower than that of an antisense oligonucleotide. This potential advantage reflects the ability of the ribozyme to act enzymatically. Thus, a single ribozyme molecule is able to cleave many molecules of target RNA. In addition, a ribozyme is typically a highly specific inhibitor, with the specificity of inhibition depending not only on the base pairing mechanism of binding, but also on the mechanism by which the molecule inhibits the expression of the RNA to which it binds. That is, the inhibition is caused by cleavage of the RNA target and so specificity is defined as the ratio of the rate of cleavage of the targeted RNA over the rate of cleavage of non-targeted RNA. This cleavage mechanism is dependent upon factors additional to those involved in base pairing. Thus, the specificity of action of a ribozyme can be greater than that of antisense oligonucleotide binding the same RNA site.

The ribozyme of the invention, e.g., an enzymatic ribozyme RNA molecule, can be formed in a hammerhead motif, a hairpin motif, as a hepatitis delta virus motif, a group I intron motif and/or an RNaseP-like RNA in association with an RNA guide sequence. Examples of hammerhead motifs are described by, e.g., Rossi (1992) Aids Research and Human Retroviruses 8:183; hairpin motifs by Hampel (1989) Biochemistry 28:4929, and Hampel (1990) Nuc. Acids Res. 18:299; the hepatitis delta virus motif by Perrotta (1992) Biochemistry 31:16; the RNaseP motif by Guerrier-Takada (1983) Cell 35:849; and the group I intron by Cech U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,071. The recitation of these specific motifs is not intended to be limiting. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a ribozyme of the invention, e.g., an enzymatic RNA molecule of this invention, can have a specific substrate binding site complementary to one or more of the target gene RNA regions. A ribozyme of the invention can have a nucleotide sequence within or surrounding that substrate binding site which imparts an RNA cleaving activity to the molecule.

RNA Interference (RNAi)

In one aspect, the invention provides an RNA inhibitory molecule, a so-called “RNAi” molecule, comprising a pectate lyase sequence of the invention. The RNAi molecule comprises a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecule. The RNAi can inhibit expression of a pectate lyase gene. In one aspect, the RNAi is about 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 or more duplex nucleotides in length. While the invention is not limited by any particular mechanism of action, the RNAi can enter a cell and cause the degradation of a single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) of similar or identical sequences, including endogenous mRNAs. When a cell is exposed to double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), mRNA from the homologous gene is selectively degraded by a process called RNA interference (RNAi). A possible basic mechanism behind RNAi is the breaking of a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) matching a specific gene sequence into short pieces called short interfering RNA, which trigger the degradation of mRNA that matches its sequence. In one aspect, the RNAi's of the invention are used in gene-silencing therapeutics, see, e.g., Shuey (2002) Drug Discov. Today 7:1040-1046. In one aspect, the invention provides methods to selectively degrade RNA using the RNAi's of the invention. The process may be practiced in vitro, ex vivo or in vivo. In one aspect, the RNAi molecules of the invention can be used to generate a loss-of-function mutation in a cell, an organ or an animal. Methods for making and using RNAi molecules for selectively degrade RNA are well known in the art, see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,506,559; 6,511,824; 6,515,109; 6,489,127.

Modification of Nucleic Acids

The invention provides methods of generating variants of the nucleic acids of the invention, e.g., those encoding a pectate lyase, the variant nucleic acids generated by these methods (e.g., SEQ ID NO:133) and polypeptides encoded by them (e.g., SEQ ID NO:134, as discussed below). These methods can be repeated or used in various combinations to generate pectate lyases having an altered or different activity or an altered or different stability from that of a pectate lyase encoded by the template nucleic acid. These methods also can be repeated or used in various combinations, e.g., to generate variations in gene/message expression, message translation or message stability. In another aspect, the genetic composition of a cell is altered by, e.g., modification of a homologous gene in vitro, in vivo or ex vivo, followed by its reinsertion into the cell.

A nucleic acid of the invention can be altered by any means. For example, random or stochastic methods, or, non-stochastic, or “directed evolution,” methods, see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,361,974. Methods for random mutation of genes are well known in the art, see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,696. For example, mutagens can be used to randomly mutate a gene. Mutagens include, e.g., ultraviolet light or gamma irradiation, or a chemical mutagen, e.g., mitomycin, nitrous acid, photoactivated psoralens, alone or in combination, to induce DNA breaks amenable to repair by recombination. Other chemical mutagens include, for example, sodium bisulfite, nitrous acid, hydroxylamine, hydrazine or formic acid. Other mutagens are analogues of nucleotide precursors, e.g., nitrosoguanidine, 5-bromouracil, 2-aminopurine, or acridine. These agents can be added to a PCR reaction in place of the nucleotide precursor, thereby mutating the sequence. Intercalating agents such as proflavine, acriflavine, quinacrine and the like can be used.

Any technique in molecular biology can be used, e.g., random PCR mutagenesis, see, e.g., Rice (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89:5467-5471; or, combinatorial multiple cassette mutagenesis, see, e.g., Crameri (1995) Biotechniques 18:194-196. Alternatively, nucleic acids, e.g., genes, can be reassembled after random, or “stochastic,” fragmentation, see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,291,242; 6,287,862; 6,287,861; 5,955,358; 5,830,721; 5,824,514; 5,811,238; 5,605,793. In alternative aspects, modifications, additions or deletions are introduced by error-prone PCR, shuffling, oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis, assembly PCR, sexual PCR mutagenesis, in vivo mutagenesis, cassette mutagenesis, recursive ensemble mutagenesis, exponential ensemble mutagenesis, site-specific mutagenesis, gene reassembly, gene site saturation mutagenesis (GSSM™), synthetic ligation reassembly (SLR), recombination, recursive sequence recombination, phosphothioate-modified DNA mutagenesis, uracil-containing template mutagenesis, gapped duplex mutagenesis, point mismatch repair mutagenesis, repair-deficient host strain mutagenesis, chemical mutagenesis, radiogenic mutagenesis, deletion mutagenesis, restriction-selection mutagenesis, restriction-purification mutagenesis, artificial gene synthesis, ensemble mutagenesis, chimeric nucleic acid multimer creation, and/or a combination of these and other methods.

The following publications describe a variety of recursive recombination procedures and/or methods which can be incorporated into the methods of the invention: Stemmer (1999) “Molecular breeding of viruses for targeting and other clinical properties” Tumor Targeting 4:1-4; Ness (1999) Nature Biotechnology 17:893-896; Chang (1999) “Evolution of a cytokine using DNA family shuffling” Nature Biotechnology 17:793-797; Minshull (1999) “Protein evolution by molecular breeding” Current Opinion in Chemical Biology 3:284-290; Christians (1999) “Directed evolution of thymidine kinase for AZT phosphorylation using DNA family shuffling” Nature Biotechnology 17:259-264; Crameri (1998) “DNA shuffling of a family of genes from diverse species accelerates directed evolution” Nature 391:288-291; Crameri (1997) “Molecular evolution of an arsenate detoxification pathway by DNA shuffling,” Nature Biotechnology 15:436-438; Zhang (1997) “Directed evolution of an effective fucosidase from a galactosidase by DNA shuffling and screening” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94:4504-4509; Patten et al. (1997) “Applications of DNA Shuffling to Pharmaceuticals and Vaccines” Current Opinion in Biotechnology 8:724-733; Crameri et al. (1996) “Construction and evolution of antibody-phage libraries by DNA shuffling” Nature Medicine 2:100-103; Gates et al. (1996) “Affinity selective isolation of ligands from peptide libraries through display on a lac repressor ‘headpiece dimer’” Journal of Molecular Biology 255:373-386; Stemmer (1996) “Sexual PCR and Assembly PCR” In: The Encyclopedia of Molecular Biology. VCH Publishers, New York. pp. 447-457; Crameri and Stemmer (1995) “Combinatorial multiple cassette mutagenesis creates all the permutations of mutant and wildtype cassettes” BioTechniques 18:194-195; Stemmer et al. (1995) “Single-step assembly of a gene and entire plasmid form large numbers of oligodeoxyribonucleotides” Gene, 164:49-53; Stemmer (1995) “The Evolution of Molecular Computation” Science 270: 1510; Stemmer (1995) “Searching Sequence Space” Bio/Technology 13:549-553; Stemmer (1994) “Rapid evolution of a protein in vitro by DNA shuffling” Nature 370:389-391; and Stemmer (1994) “DNA shuffling by random fragmentation and reassembly: In vitro recombination for molecular evolution.” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 91:10747-10751.

Mutational methods of generating diversity include, for example, site-directed mutagenesis (Ling et al. (1997) “Approaches to DNA mutagenesis: an overview” Anal Biochem. 254(2): 157-178; Dale et al. (1996) “Oligonucleotide-directed random mutagenesis using the phosphorothioate method” Methods Mol. Biol. 57:369-374; Smith (1985) “In vitro mutagenesis” Ann. Rev. Genet. 19:423-462; Botstein & Shortle (1985) “Strategies and applications of in vitro mutagenesis” Science 229:1193-1201; Carter (1986) “Site-directed mutagenesis” Biochem. J. 237:1-7; and Kunkel (1987) “The efficiency of oligonucleotide directed mutagenesis” in Nucleic Acids & Molecular Biology (Eckstein, F. and Lilley, D. M. J. eds., Springer Verlag, Berlin)); mutagenesis using uracil containing templates (Kunkel (1985) “Rapid and efficient site-specific mutagenesis without phenotypic selection” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82:488-492; Kunkel et al. (1987) “Rapid and efficient site-specific mutagenesis without phenotypic selection” Methods in Enzymol. 154,367-382; and Bass et al. (1988) “Mutant Trp repressors with new DNA-binding specificities” Science 242:240-245); oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis (Methods in Enzymol. 100: 468-500 (1983); Methods in Enzymol. 154: 329-350 (1987); Zoller & Smith (1982) “Oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis using M13-derived vectors: an efficient and general procedure for the production of point mutations in any DNA fragment” Nucleic Acids Res. 10:6487-6500; Zoller & Smith (1983) “Oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis of DNA fragments cloned into M13 vectors” Methods in Enzymol. 100:468-500; and Zoller & Smith (1987) Oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis: a simple method using two oligonucleotide primers and a single-stranded DNA template” Methods in Enzymol. 154:329-350); phosphorothioate-modified DNA mutagenesis (Taylor et al. (1985) “The use of phosphorothioate-modified DNA in restriction enzyme reactions to prepare nicked DNA” Nucl. Acids Res. 13: 8749-8764; Taylor et al. (1985) “The rapid generation of oligonucleotide-directed mutations at high frequency using phosphorothioate-modified DNA” Nucl. Acids Res. 13: 8765-8787 (1985); Nakamaye (1986) “Inhibition of restriction endonuclease Nci I cleavage by phosphorothioate groups and its application to oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis” Nucl. Acids Res. 14: 9679-9698; Sayers et al. (1988) “Y-T Exonucleases in phosphorothioate-based oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis” Nucl. Acids Res. 16:791-802; and Sayers et al. (1988) “Strand specific cleavage of phosphorothioate-containing DNA by reaction with restriction endonucleases in the presence of ethidium bromide” Nucl. Acids Res. 16: 803-814); mutagenesis using gapped duplex DNA (Kramer et al. (1984) “The gapped duplex DNA approach to oligonucleotide-directed mutation construction” Nucl. Acids Res. 12: 9441-9456; Kramer & Fritz (1987) Methods in Enzymol. “Oligonucleotide-directed construction of mutations via gapped duplex DNA” 154:350-367; Kramer et al. (1988) “Improved enzymatic in vitro reactions in the gapped duplex DNA approach to oligonucleotide-directed construction of mutations” Nucl. Acids Res. 16: 7207; and Fritz et al. (1988) “Oligonucleotide-directed construction of mutations: a gapped duplex DNA procedure without enzymatic reactions in vitro” Nucl. Acids Res. 16: 6987-6999).

Additional protocols that can be used to practice the invention include point mismatch repair (Kramer (1984) “Point Mismatch Repair” Cell 38:879-887), mutagenesis using repair-deficient host strains (Carter et al. (1985) “Improved oligonucleotide site-directed mutagenesis using M13 vectors” Nucl. Acids Res. 13: 4431-4443; and Carter (1987) “Improved oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis using M13 vectors” Methods in Enzymol. 154: 382-403), deletion mutagenesis (Eghtedarzadeh (1986) “Use of oligonucleotides to generate large deletions” Nucl. Acids Res. 14: 5115), restriction-selection and restriction-selection and restriction-purification (Wells et al. (1986) “Importance of hydrogen-bond formation in stabilizing the transition state of subtilisin” Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A 317: 415-423), mutagenesis by total gene synthesis (Nambiar et al. (1984) “Total synthesis and cloning of a gene coding for the ribonuclease S protein” Science 223: 1299-1301; Sakamar and Khorana (1988) “Total synthesis and expression of a gene for the a-subunit of bovine rod outer segment guanine nucleotide-binding protein (transducin)” Nucl. Acids Res. 14: 6361-6372; Wells et al. (1985) “Cassette mutagenesis: an efficient method for generation of multiple mutations at defined sites” Gene 34:315-323; and Grundstrom et al. (1985) “Oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis by microscale ‘shot-gun’ gene synthesis” Nucl. Acids Res. 13: 3305-3316), double-strand break repair (Mandecki (1986); Arnold (1993) “Protein engineering for unusual environments” Current Opinion in Biotechnology 4:450-455. “Oligonucleotide-directed double-strand break repair in plasmids of Escherichia coli: a method for site-specific mutagenesis” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 83:7177-7181). Additional details on many of the above methods can be found in Methods in Enzymology Volume 154, which also describes useful controls for trouble-shooting problems with various mutagenesis methods.

Protocols that can be used to practice the invention are described, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,793 to Stemmer (Feb. 25, 1997), “Methods for In Vitro Recombination;” U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,238 to Stemmer et al. (Sep. 22, 1998) “Methods for Generating Polynucleotides having Desired Characteristics by Iterative Selection and Recombination;” U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,721 to Stemmer et al. (Nov. 3, 1998), “DNA Mutagenesis by Random Fragmentation and Reassembly;” U.S. Pat. No. 5,834,252 to Stemmer, et al. (Nov. 10, 1998) “End-Complementary Polymerase Reaction;” U.S. Pat. No. 5,837,458 to Minshull, et al. (Nov. 17, 1998), “Methods and Compositions for Cellular and Metabolic Engineering;” WO 95/22625, Stemmer and Crameri, “Mutagenesis by Random Fragmentation and Reassembly;” WO 96/33207 by Stemmer and Lipschutz “End Complementary Polymerase Chain Reaction;” WO 97/20078 by Stemmer and Crameri “Methods for Generating Polynucleotides having Desired Characteristics by Iterative Selection and Recombination;” WO 97/35966 by Minshull and Stemmer, “Methods and Compositions for Cellular and Metabolic Engineering;” WO 99/41402 by Punnonen et al. “Targeting of Genetic Vaccine Vectors;” WO 99/41383 by Punnonen et al. “Antigen Library Immunization;” WO 99/41369 by Punnonen et al. “Genetic Vaccine Vector Engineering;” WO 99/41368 by Punnonen et al. “Optimization of Immunomodulatory Properties of Genetic Vaccines;” EP 752008 by Stemmer and Crameri, “DNA Mutagenesis by Random Fragmentation and Reassembly;” EP 0932670 by Stemmer “Evolving Cellular DNA Uptake by Recursive Sequence Recombination;” WO 99/23107 by Stemmer et al., “Modification of Virus Tropism and Host Range by Viral Genome Shuffling;” WO 99/21979 by Apt et al., “Human Papillomavirus Vectors;” WO 98/31837 by del Cardayre et al. “Evolution of Whole Cells and Organisms by Recursive Sequence Recombination;” WO 98/27230 by Patten and Stemmer, “Methods and Compositions for Polypeptide Engineering;” WO 98/27230 by Stemmer et al., “Methods for Optimization of Gene Therapy by Recursive Sequence Shuffling and Selection,” WO 00/00632, “Methods for Generating Highly Diverse Libraries,” WO 00/09679, “Methods for Obtaining in Vitro Recombined Polynucleotide Sequence Banks and Resulting Sequences,” WO 98/42832 by Arnold et al., “Recombination of Polynucleotide Sequences Using Random or Defined Primers,” WO 99/29902 by Arnold et al., “Method for Creating Polynucleotide and Polypeptide Sequences,” WO 98/41653 by Vind, “An in Vitro Method for Construction of a DNA Library,” WO 98/41622 by Borchert et al., “Method for Constructing a Library Using DNA Shuffling,” and WO 98/42727 by Pati and Zarling, “Sequence Alterations using Homologous Recombination.”

Protocols that can be used to practice the invention (providing details regarding various diversity generating methods) are described, e.g., in U.S. patent application Ser. No. (U.S. Ser. No.) 09/407,800, “SHUFFLING OF CODON ALTERED GENES” by Patten et al. filed Sep. 28, 1999; “EVOLUTION OF WHOLE CELLS AND ORGANISMS BY RECURSIVE SEQUENCE RECOMBINATION” by del Cardayre et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,379,964; “OLIGONUCLEOTIDE MEDIATED NUCLEIC ACID RECOMBINATION” by Crameri et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,319,714; 6,368,861; 6,376,246; 6,423,542; 6,426,224 and PCT/US00/01203; “USE OF CODON-VARIED OLIGONUCLEOTIDE SYNTHESIS FOR SYNTHETIC SHUFFLING” by Welch et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,436,675; “METHODS FOR MAKING CHARACTER STRINGS, POLYNUCLEOTIDES & POLYPEPTIDES HAVING DESIRED CHARACTERISTICS” by Selifonov et al., filed Jan. 18, 2000, (PCT/US00/01202) and, e.g. “METHODS FOR MAKING CHARACTER STRINGS, POLYNUCLEOTIDES & POLYPEPTIDES HAVING DESIRED CHARACTERISTICS” by Selifonov et al., filed Jul. 18, 2000 (U.S. Ser. No. 09/618,579); “METHODS OF POPULATING DATA STRUCTURES FOR USE IN EVOLUTIONARY SIMULATIONS” by Selifonov and Stemmer, filed Jan. 18, 2000 (PCT/US00/01138); and “SINGLE-STR-ANDED NUCLEIC ACID TEMPLATE-MEDIATED RECOMBINATION AND NUCLEIC ACID FRAGMENT ISOLATION” by Affholter, filed Sep. 6, 2000 (U.S. Ser. No. 09/656,549); and U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,177,263; 6,153,410.

Non-stochastic, or “directed evolution,” methods include, e.g., saturation mutagenesis (GSSM™), synthetic ligation reassembly (SLR), or a combination thereof are used to modify the nucleic acids of the invention to generate pectate lyases with new or altered properties (e.g., activity under highly acidic or alkaline conditions, high temperatures, and the like). Polypeptides encoded by the modified nucleic acids can be screened for an activity before testing for proteolytic or other activity. Any testing modality or protocol can be used, e.g., using a capillary array platform. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,361,974; 6,280,926; 5,939,250.

Saturation Mutagenesis, or, GSSM™

In one aspect, codon primers containing a degenerate N,N,G/T sequence are used to introduce point mutations into a polynucleotide, e.g., a pectate lyase or an antibody of the invention, so as to generate a set of progeny polypeptides in which a full range of single amino acid substitutions is represented at each amino acid position, e.g., an amino acid residue in an enzyme active site or ligand binding site targeted to be modified. These oligonucleotides can comprise a contiguous first homologous sequence, a degenerate N,N,G/T sequence, and, optionally, a second homologous sequence. The downstream progeny translational products from the use of such oligonucleotides include all possible amino acid changes at each amino acid site along the polypeptide, because the degeneracy of the N,N,G/T sequence includes codons for all 20 amino acids. In one aspect, one such degenerate oligonucleotide (comprised of, e.g., one degenerate N,N,G/T cassette) is used for subjecting each original codon in a parental polynucleotide template to a full range of codon substitutions. In another aspect, at least two degenerate cassettes are used—either in the same oligonucleotide or not, for subjecting at least two original codons in a parental polynucleotide template to a full range of codon substitutions. For example, more than one N,N,G/T sequence can be contained in one oligonucleotide to introduce amino acid mutations at more than one site. This plurality of N,N,G/T sequences can be directly contiguous, or separated by one or more additional nucleotide sequence(s). In another aspect, oligonucleotides serviceable for introducing additions and deletions can be used either alone or in combination with the codons containing an N,N,G/T sequence, to introduce any combination or permutation of amino acid additions, deletions, and/or substitutions.

In one aspect, simultaneous mutagenesis of two or more contiguous amino acid positions is done using an oligonucleotide that contains contiguous N,N,G/T triplets, i.e. a degenerate (N,N,G/T)n sequence. In another aspect, degenerate cassettes having less degeneracy than the N,N,G/T sequence are used. For example, it may be desirable in some instances to use (e.g. in an oligonucleotide) a degenerate triplet sequence comprised of only one N, where said N can be in the first second or third position of the triplet. Any other bases including any combinations and permutations thereof can be used in the remaining two positions of the triplet. Alternatively, it may be desirable in some instances to use (e.g. in an oligo) a degenerate N,N,N triplet sequence.

In one aspect, use of degenerate triplets (e.g., N,N,G/T triplets) allows for systematic and easy generation of a full range of possible natural amino acids (for a total of 20 amino acids) into each and every amino acid position in a polypeptide (in alternative aspects, the methods also include generation of less than all possible substitutions per amino acid residue, or codon, position). For example, for a 100 amino acid polypeptide, 2000 distinct species (i.e. 20 possible amino acids per position X 100 amino acid positions) can be generated. Through the use of an oligonucleotide or set of oligonucleotides containing a degenerate N,N,G/T triplet, 32 individual sequences can code for all 20 possible natural amino acids. Thus, in a reaction vessel in which a parental polynucleotide sequence is subjected to saturation mutagenesis using at least one such oligonucleotide, there are generated 32 distinct progeny polynucleotides encoding 20 distinct polypeptides. In contrast, the use of a non-degenerate oligonucleotide in site-directed mutagenesis leads to only one progeny polypeptide product per reaction vessel. Nondegenerate oligonucleotides can optionally be used in combination with degenerate primers disclosed; for example, nondegenerate oligonucleotides can be used to generate specific point mutations in a working polynucleotide. This provides one means to generate specific silent point mutations, point mutations leading to corresponding amino acid changes, and point mutations that cause the generation of stop codons and the corresponding expression of polypeptide fragments.

In one aspect, each saturation mutagenesis reaction vessel contains polynucleotides encoding at least 20 progeny polypeptide (e.g., pectate lyases) molecules such that all 20 natural amino acids are represented at the one specific amino acid position corresponding to the codon position mutagenized in the parental polynucleotide (other aspects use less than all 20 natural combinations). The 32-fold degenerate progeny polypeptides generated from each saturation mutagenesis reaction vessel can be subjected to clonal amplification (e.g. cloned into a suitable host, e.g., E. coli host, using, e.g., an expression vector) and subjected to expression screening. When an individual progeny polypeptide is identified by screening to display a favorable change in property (when compared to the parental polypeptide, such as increased proteolytic activity under alkaline or acidic conditions), it can be sequenced to identify the correspondingly favorable amino acid substitution contained therein.

In one aspect, upon mutagenizing each and every amino acid position in a parental polypeptide using saturation mutagenesis as disclosed herein, favorable amino acid changes may be identified at more than one amino acid position. One or more new progeny molecules can be generated that contain a combination of all or part of these favorable amino acid substitutions. For example, if 2 specific favorable amino acid changes are identified in each of 3 amino acid positions in a polypeptide, the permutations include 3 possibilities at each position (no change from the original amino acid, and each of two favorable changes) and 3 positions. Thus, there are 3×3×3 or 27 total possibilities, including 7 that were previously examined—6 single point mutations (i.e. 2 at each of three positions) and no change at any position.

In another aspect, site-saturation mutagenesis can be used together with another stochastic or non-stochastic means to vary sequence, e.g., synthetic ligation reassembly (see below), shuffling, chimerization, recombination and other mutagenizing processes and mutagenizing agents. This invention provides for the use of any mutagenizing process(es), including saturation mutagenesis, in an iterative manner.

Synthetic Ligation Reassembly (SLR)

The invention provides a non-stochastic gene modification system termed “synthetic ligation reassembly,” or simply “SLR,” a “directed evolution process,” to generate polypeptides, e.g., pectate lyases or antibodies of the invention, with new or altered properties. SLR is a method of ligating oligonucleotide fragments together non-stochastically. This method differs from stochastic oligonucleotide shuffling in that the nucleic acid building blocks are not shuffled, concatenated or chimerized randomly, but rather are assembled non-stochastically. See, e.g., U.S. patent application Ser. No. (U.S. Ser. No.) 09/332,835 entitled “Synthetic Ligation Reassembly in Directed Evolution” and filed on Jun. 14, 1999 (“U.S. Ser. No. 09/332,835”). In one aspect, SLR comprises the following steps: (a) providing a template polynucleotide, wherein the template polynucleotide comprises sequence encoding a homologous gene; (b) providing a plurality of building block polynucleotides, wherein the building block polynucleotides are designed to cross-over reassemble with the template polynucleotide at a predetermined sequence, and a building block polynucleotide comprises a sequence that is a variant of the homologous gene and a sequence homologous to the template polynucleotide flanking the variant sequence; (c) combining a building block polynucleotide with a template polynucleotide such that the building block polynucleotide cross-over reassembles with the template polynucleotide to generate polynucleotides comprising homologous gene sequence variations.

SLR does not depend on the presence of high levels of homology between polynucleotides to be rearranged. Thus, this method can be used to non-stochastically generate libraries (or sets) of progeny molecules comprised of over 10100 different chimeras. SLR can be used to generate libraries comprised of over 101000 different progeny chimeras. Thus, aspects of the present invention include non-stochastic methods of producing a set of finalized chimeric nucleic acid molecule shaving an overall assembly order that is chosen by design. This method includes the steps of generating by design a plurality of specific nucleic acid building blocks having serviceable mutually compatible ligatable ends, and assembling these nucleic acid building blocks, such that a designed overall assembly order is achieved.

The mutually compatible ligatable ends of the nucleic acid building blocks to be assembled are considered to be “serviceable” for this type of ordered assembly if they enable the building blocks to be coupled in predetermined orders. Thus, the overall assembly order in which the nucleic acid building blocks can be coupled is specified by the design of the ligatable ends. If more than one assembly step is to be used, then the overall assembly order in which the nucleic acid building blocks can be coupled is also specified by the sequential order of the assembly step(s). In one aspect, the annealed building pieces are treated with an enzyme, such as a ligase (e.g. T4 DNA ligase), to achieve covalent bonding of the building pieces.

In one aspect, the design of the oligonucleotide building blocks is obtained by analyzing a set of progenitor nucleic acid sequence templates that serve as a basis for producing a progeny set of finalized chimeric polynucleotides. These parental oligonucleotide templates thus serve as a source of sequence information that aids in the design of the nucleic acid building blocks that are to be mutagenized, e.g., chimerized or shuffled. In one aspect of this method, the sequences of a plurality of parental nucleic acid templates are aligned in order to select one or more demarcation points. The demarcation points can be located at an area of homology, and are comprised of one or more nucleotides. These demarcation points are preferably shared by at least two of the progenitor templates. The demarcation points can thereby be used to delineate the boundaries of oligonucleotide building blocks to be generated in order to rearrange the parental polynucleotides. The demarcation points identified and selected in the progenitor molecules serve as potential chimerization points in the assembly of the final chimeric progeny molecules. A demarcation point can be an area of homology (comprised of at least one homologous nucleotide base) shared by at least two parental polynucleotide sequences. Alternatively, a demarcation point can be an area of homology that is shared by at least half of the parental polynucleotide sequences, or, it can be an area of homology that is shared by at least two thirds of the parental polynucleotide sequences. Even more preferably a serviceable demarcation points is an area of homology that is shared by at least three fourths of the parental polynucleotide sequences, or, it can be shared by at almost all of the parental polynucleotide sequences. In one aspect, a demarcation point is an area of homology that is shared by all of the parental polynucleotide sequences.

In one aspect, a ligation reassembly process is performed exhaustively in order to generate an exhaustive library of progeny chimeric polynucleotides. In other words, all possible ordered combinations of the nucleic acid building blocks are represented in the set of finalized chimeric nucleic acid molecules. At the same time, in another aspect, the assembly order (i.e. the order of assembly of each building block in the 5′ to 3 sequence of each finalized chimeric nucleic acid) in each combination is by design (or non-stochastic) as described above. Because of the non-stochastic nature of this invention, the possibility of unwanted side products is greatly reduced.

In another aspect, the ligation reassembly method is performed systematically. For example, the method is performed in order to generate a systematically compartmentalized library of progeny molecules, with compartments that can be screened systematically, e.g. one by one. In other words this invention provides that, through the selective and judicious use of specific nucleic acid building blocks, coupled with the selective and judicious use of sequentially stepped assembly reactions, a design can be achieved where specific sets of progeny products are made in each of several reaction vessels. This allows a systematic examination and screening procedure to be performed. Thus, these methods allow a potentially very large number of progeny molecules to be examined systematically in smaller groups. Because of its ability to perform chimerizations in a manner that is highly flexible yet exhaustive and systematic as well, particularly when there is a low level of homology among the progenitor molecules, these methods provide for the generation of a library (or set) comprised of a large number of progeny molecules. Because of the non-stochastic nature of the instant ligation reassembly invention, the progeny molecules generated preferably comprise a library of finalized chimeric nucleic acid molecules having an overall assembly order that is chosen by design. The saturation mutagenesis and optimized directed evolution methods also can be used to generate different progeny molecular species. It is appreciated that the invention provides freedom of choice and control regarding the selection of demarcation points, the size and number of the nucleic acid building blocks, and the size and design of the couplings. It is appreciated, furthermore, that the requirement for intermolecular homology is highly relaxed for the operability of this invention. In fact, demarcation points can even be chosen in areas of little or no intermolecular homology. For example, because of codon wobble, i.e. the degeneracy of codons, nucleotide substitutions can be introduced into nucleic acid building blocks without altering the amino acid originally encoded in the corresponding progenitor template. Alternatively, a codon can be altered such that the coding for an originally amino acid is altered. This invention provides that such substitutions can be introduced into the nucleic acid building block in order to increase the incidence of intermolecular homologous demarcation points and thus to allow an increased number of couplings to be achieved among the building blocks, which in turn allows a greater number of progeny chimeric molecules to be generated.

In another aspect, the synthetic nature of the step in which the building blocks are generated allows the design and introduction of nucleotides (e.g., one or more nucleotides, which may be, for example, codons or introns or regulatory sequences) that can later be optionally removed in an in vitro process (e.g. by mutagenesis) or in an in vivo process (e.g. by utilizing the gene splicing ability of a host organism). It is appreciated that in many instances the introduction of these nucleotides may also be desirable for many other reasons in addition to the potential benefit of creating a serviceable demarcation point.

In one aspect, a nucleic acid building block is used to introduce an intron. Thus, functional introns are introduced into a man-made gene manufactured according to the methods described herein. The artificially introduced intron(s) can be functional in a host cells for gene splicing much in the way that naturally-occurring introns serve functionally in gene splicing.

Optimized Directed Evolution System

The invention provides a non-stochastic gene modification system termed “optimized directed evolution system” to generate polypeptides, e.g., pectate lyases or antibodies of the invention, with new or altered properties. Optimized directed evolution is directed to the use of repeated cycles of reductive reassortment, recombination and selection that allow for the directed molecular evolution of nucleic acids through recombination. Optimized directed evolution allows generation of a large population of evolved chimeric sequences, wherein the generated population is significantly enriched for sequences that have a predetermined number of crossover events.

A crossover event is a point in a chimeric sequence where a shift in sequence occurs from one parental variant to another parental variant. Such a point is normally at the juncture of where oligonucleotides from two parents are ligated together to form a single sequence. This method allows calculation of the correct concentrations of oligonucleotide sequences so that the final chimeric population of sequences is enriched for the chosen number of crossover events. This provides more control over choosing chimeric variants having a predetermined number of crossover events.

In addition, this method provides a convenient means for exploring a tremendous amount of the possible protein variant space in comparison to other systems. Previously, if one generated, for example, 10¹³ chimeric molecules during a reaction, it would be extremely difficult to test such a high number of chimeric variants for a particular activity. Moreover, a significant portion of the progeny population would have a very high number of crossover events which resulted in proteins that were less likely to have increased levels of a particular activity. By using these methods, the population of chimerics molecules can be enriched for those variants that have a particular number of crossover events. Thus, although one can still generate 10¹³ chimeric molecules during a reaction, each of the molecules chosen for further analysis most likely has, for example, only three crossover events. Because the resulting progeny population can be skewed to have a predetermined number of crossover events, the boundaries on the functional variety between the chimeric molecules is reduced. This provides a more manageable number of variables when calculating which oligonucleotide from the original parental polynucleotides might be responsible for affecting a particular trait.

One method for creating a chimeric progeny polynucleotide sequence is to create oligonucleotides corresponding to fragments or portions of each parental sequence. Each oligonucleotide preferably includes a unique region of overlap so that mixing the oligonucleotides together results in a new variant that has each oligonucleotide fragment assembled in the correct order. Additional information can also be found, e.g., in U.S. Ser. No. 09/332,835; U.S. Pat. No. 6,361,974.

The number of oligonucleotides generated for each parental variant bears a relationship to the total number of resulting crossovers in the chimeric molecule that is ultimately created. For example, three parental nucleotide sequence variants might be provided to undergo a ligation reaction in order to find a chimeric variant having, for example, greater activity at high temperature. As one example, a set of 50 oligonucleotide sequences can be generated corresponding to each portions of each parental variant. Accordingly, during the ligation reassembly process there could be up to 50 crossover events within each of the chimeric sequences. The probability that each of the generated chimeric polynucleotides will contain oligonucleotides from each parental variant in alternating order is very low. If each oligonucleotide fragment is present in the ligation reaction in the same molar quantity it is likely that in some positions oligonucleotides from the same parental polynucleotide will ligate next to one another and thus not result in a crossover event. If the concentration of each oligonucleotide from each parent is kept constant during any ligation step in this example, there is a ⅓chance (assuming 3 parents) that an oligonucleotide from the same parental variant will ligate within the chimeric sequence and produce no crossover.

Accordingly, a probability density function (PDF) can be determined to predict the population of crossover events that are likely to occur during each step in a ligation reaction given a set number of parental variants, a number of oligonucleotides corresponding to each variant, and the concentrations of each variant during each step in the ligation reaction. The statistics and mathematics behind determining the PDF is described below. By utilizing these methods, one can calculate such a probability density function, and thus enrich the chimeric progeny population for a predetermined number of crossover events resulting from a particular ligation reaction. Moreover, a target number of crossover events can be predetermined, and the system then programmed to calculate the starting quantities of each parental oligonucleotide during each step in the ligation reaction to result in a probability density function that centers on the predetermined number of crossover events. These methods are directed to the use of repeated cycles of reductive reassortment, recombination and selection that allow for the directed molecular evolution of a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide through recombination. This system allows generation of a large population of evolved chimeric sequences, wherein the generated population is significantly enriched for sequences that have a predetermined number of crossover events. A crossover event is a point in a chimeric sequence where a shift in sequence occurs from one parental variant to another parental variant. Such a point is normally at the juncture of where oligonucleotides from two parents are ligated together to form a single sequence. The method allows calculation of the correct concentrations of oligonucleotide sequences so that the final chimeric population of sequences is enriched for the chosen number of crossover events. This provides more control over choosing chimeric variants having a predetermined number of crossover events.

In addition, these methods provide a convenient means for exploring a tremendous amount of the possible protein variant space in comparison to other systems. By using the methods described herein, the population of chimerics molecules can be enriched for those variants that have a particular number of crossover events. Thus, although one can still generate 10¹³ chimeric molecules during a reaction, each of the molecules chosen for further analysis most likely has, for example, only three crossover events. Because the resulting progeny population can be skewed to have a predetermined number of crossover events, the boundaries on the functional variety between the chimeric molecules is reduced. This provides a more manageable number of variables when calculating which oligonucleotide from the original parental polynucleotides might be responsible for affecting a particular trait.

In one aspect, the method creates a chimeric progeny polynucleotide sequence by creating oligonucleotides corresponding to fragments or portions of each parental sequence. Each oligonucleotide preferably includes a unique region of overlap so that mixing the oligonucleotides together results in a new variant that has each oligonucleotide fragment assembled in the correct order. See also U.S. Ser. No. 09/332,835.

Determining Crossover Events

Aspects of the invention include a system and software that receive a desired crossover probability density function (PDF), the number of parent genes to be reassembled, and the number of fragments in the reassembly as inputs. The output of this program is a “fragment PDF” that can be used to determine a recipe for producing reassembled genes, and the estimated crossover PDF of those genes. The processing described herein is preferably performed in MATLAB™ (The Mathworks, Natick, Mass.) a programming language and development environment for technical computing.

Iterative Processes

In practicing the invention, these processes can be iteratively repeated. For example, a nucleic acid (or, the nucleic acid) responsible for an altered or new pectate lyase phenotype is identified, re-isolated, again modified, re-tested for activity. This process can be iteratively repeated until a desired phenotype is engineered. For example, an entire biochemical anabolic or catabolic pathway can be engineered into a cell, including, e.g., epoxide hydrolysis activity.

Similarly, if it is determined that a particular oligonucleotide has no affect at all on the desired trait (e.g., a new pectate lyase phenotype), it can be removed as a variable by synthesizing larger parental oligonucleotides that include the sequence to be removed. Since incorporating the sequence within a larger sequence prevents any crossover events, there will no longer be any variation of this sequence in the progeny polynucleotides. This iterative practice of determining which oligonucleotides are most related to the desired trait, and which are unrelated, allows more efficient exploration all of the possible protein variants that might be provide a particular trait or activity.

In Vivo Shuffling

In vivo shuffling of molecules is use in methods of the invention that provide variants of polypeptides of the invention, e.g., antibodies, pectate lyases, and the like. In vivo shuffling can be performed utilizing the natural property of cells to recombine multimers. While recombination in vivo has provided the major natural route to molecular diversity, genetic recombination remains a relatively complex process that involves 1) the recognition of homologies; 2) strand cleavage, strand invasion, and metabolic steps leading to the production of recombinant chiasma; and finally 3) the resolution of chiasma into discrete recombined molecules. The formation of the chiasma requires the recognition of homologous sequences.

In one aspect, the invention provides a method for producing a hybrid polynucleotide from at least a first polynucleotide (e.g., a pectate lyase of the invention) and a second polynucleotide (e.g., an enzyme, such as a pectate lyase of the invention or any other pectate lyase, or, a tag or an epitope). The invention can be used to produce a hybrid polynucleotide by introducing at least a first polynucleotide and a second polynucleotide which share at least one region of partial sequence homology into a suitable host cell. The regions of partial sequence homology promote processes which result in sequence reorganization producing a hybrid polynucleotide. The term “hybrid polynucleotide”, as used herein, is any nucleotide sequence which results from the method of the present invention and contains sequence from at least two original polynucleotide sequences. Such hybrid polynucleotides can result from intermolecular recombination events which promote sequence integration between DNA molecules. In addition, such hybrid polynucleotides can result from intramolecular reductive reassortment processes which utilize repeated sequences to alter a nucleotide sequence within a DNA molecule.

Producing Sequence Variants

The invention also provides additional methods for making sequence variants of the nucleic acid (e.g., pectate lyase) sequences of the invention. The invention also provides additional methods for isolating pectate lyases using the nucleic acids and polypeptides of the invention. In one aspect, the invention provides for variants of a pectate lyase coding sequence (e.g., a gene, cDNA or message) of the invention, which can be altered by any means, including, e.g., random or stochastic methods, or, non-stochastic, or “directed evolution,” methods, as described above.

The isolated variants may be naturally occurring. Variant can also be created in vitro. Variants may be created using genetic engineering techniques such as site directed mutagenesis, random chemical mutagenesis, Exonuclease III deletion procedures, and standard cloning techniques. Alternatively, such variants, fragments, analogs, or derivatives may be created using chemical synthesis or modification procedures. Other methods of making variants are also familiar to those skilled in the art. These include procedures in which nucleic acid sequences obtained from natural isolates are modified to generate nucleic acids which encode polypeptides having characteristics which enhance their value in industrial or laboratory applications. In such procedures, a large number of variant sequences having one or more nucleotide differences with respect to the sequence obtained from the natural isolate are generated and characterized. These nucleotide differences can result in amino acid changes with respect to the polypeptides encoded by the nucleic acids from the natural isolates.

For example, variants may be created using error prone PCR. In error prone PCR, PCR is performed under conditions where the copying fidelity of the DNA polymerase is low, such that a high rate of point mutations is obtained along the entire length of the PCR product. Error prone PCR is described, e.g., in Leung, D. W., et al., Technique, 1:11-15, 1989) and Caldwell, R. C. & Joyce G. F., PCR Methods Applic., 2:28-33, 1992. Briefly, in such procedures, nucleic acids to be mutagenized are mixed with PCR primers, reaction buffer, MgCl₂, MnCl₂, Taq polymerase and an appropriate concentration of dNTPs for achieving a high rate of point mutation along the entire length of the PCR product. For example, the reaction may be performed using 20 fmoles of nucleic acid to be mutagenized, 30 pmole of each PCR primer, a reaction buffer comprising 50 mM KCl, 10 mM Tris HCl (pH 8.3) and 0.01% gelatin, 7 mM MgCl2, 0.5 mM MnCl₂, 5 units of Taq polymerase, 0.2 mM dGTP, 0.2 mM dATP, 1 mM dCTP, and 1 mM dTTP. PCR may be performed for 30 cycles of 94° C. for 1 min, 45° C. for 1 min, and 72° C. for 1 min. However, it will be appreciated that these parameters may be varied as appropriate. The mutagenized nucleic acids are cloned into an appropriate vector and the activities of the polypeptides encoded by the mutagenized nucleic acids is evaluated.

Variants may also be created using oligonucleotide directed mutagenesis to generate site-specific mutations in any cloned DNA of interest. Oligonucleotide mutagenesis is described, e.g., in Reidhaar-Olson (1988) Science 241:53-57. Briefly, in such procedures a plurality of double stranded oligonucleotides bearing one or more mutations to be introduced into the cloned DNA are synthesized and inserted into the cloned DNA to be mutagenized. Clones containing the mutagenized DNA are recovered and the activities of the polypeptides they encode are assessed.

Another method for generating variants is assembly PCR. Assembly PCR involves the assembly of a PCR product from a mixture of small DNA fragments. A large number of different PCR reactions occur in parallel in the same vial, with the products of one reaction priming the products of another reaction. Assembly PCR is described in, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,965,408.

Still another method of generating variants is sexual PCR mutagenesis. In sexual PCR mutagenesis, forced homologous recombination occurs between DNA molecules of different but highly related DNA sequence in vitro, as a result of random fragmentation of the DNA molecule based on sequence homology, followed by fixation of the crossover by primer extension in a PCR reaction. Sexual PCR mutagenesis is described, e.g., in Stemmer (1994) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 91: 10747-10751. Briefly, in such procedures a plurality of nucleic acids to be recombined are digested with DNase to generate fragments having an average size of 50-200 nucleotides. Fragments of the desired average size are purified and resuspended in a PCR mixture. PCR is conducted under conditions which facilitate recombination between the nucleic acid fragments. For example, PCR may be performed by resuspending the purified fragments at a concentration of 10-30 ng/:1 in a solution of 0.2 mM of each dNTP, 2.2 mM MgCl₂, 50 mM KCL, 10 mM Tris HCl, pH 9.0, and 0.1% Triton X-100. 2.5 units of Taq polymerase per 100:1 of reaction mixture is added and PCR is performed using the following regime: 94° C. for 60 seconds, 94° C. for 30 seconds, 50-55° C. for 30 seconds, 72° C. for 30 seconds (30-45 times) and 72° C. for 5 minutes. However, it will be appreciated that these parameters may be varied as appropriate. In some aspects, oligonucleotides may be included in the PCR reactions. In other aspects, the Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase I may be used in a first set of PCR reactions and Taq polymerase may be used in a subsequent set of PCR reactions. Recombinant sequences are isolated and the activities of the polypeptides they encode are assessed.

Variants may also be created by in vivo mutagenesis. In some aspects, random mutations in a sequence of interest are generated by propagating the sequence of interest in a bacterial strain, such as an E. coli strain, which carries mutations in one or more of the DNA repair pathways. Such “mutator” strains have a higher random mutation rate than that of a wild-type parent. Propagating the DNA in one of these strains will eventually generate random mutations within the DNA. Mutator strains suitable for use for in vivo mutagenesis are described, e.g., in PCT Publication No. WO 91/16427.

Variants may also be generated using cassette mutagenesis. In cassette mutagenesis a small region of a double stranded DNA molecule is replaced with a synthetic oligonucleotide “cassette” that differs from the native sequence. The oligonucleotide often contains completely and/or partially randomized native sequence.

Recursive ensemble mutagenesis may also be used to generate variants. Recursive ensemble mutagenesis is an algorithm for protein engineering (protein mutagenesis) developed to produce diverse populations of phenotypically related mutants whose members differ in amino acid sequence. This method uses a feedback mechanism to control successive rounds of combinatorial cassette mutagenesis. Recursive ensemble mutagenesis is described, e.g., in Arkin (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89:7811-7815.

In some aspects, variants are created using exponential ensemble mutagenesis. Exponential ensemble mutagenesis is a process for generating combinatorial libraries with a high percentage of unique and functional mutants, wherein small groups of residues are randomized in parallel to identify, at each altered position, amino acids which lead to functional proteins. Exponential ensemble mutagenesis is described, e.g., in Delegrave (1993) Biotechnology Res. 11: 1548-1552. Random and site-directed mutagenesis are described, e.g., in Arnold (1993) Current Opinion in Biotechnology 4:450-455.

In some aspects, the variants are created using shuffling procedures wherein portions of a plurality of nucleic acids which encode distinct polypeptides are fused together to create chimeric nucleic acid sequences which encode chimeric polypeptides as described in, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,965,408; 5,939,250 (see also discussion, above).

The invention also provides variants of polypeptides of the invention (e.g., pectate lyases) comprising sequences in which one or more of the amino acid residues (e.g., of an exemplary polypeptide of the invention) are substituted with a conserved or non-conserved amino acid residue (e.g., a conserved amino acid residue) and such substituted amino acid residue may or may not be one encoded by the genetic code. Conservative substitutions are those that substitute a given amino acid in a polypeptide by another amino acid of like characteristics. Thus, polypeptides of the invention include those with conservative substitutions of sequences of the invention, e.g., the exemplary polypeptides of the invention, including but not limited to the following replacements: replacements of an aliphatic amino acid such as Alanine, Valine, Leucine and Isoleucine with another aliphatic amino acid; replacement of a Serine with a Threonine or vice versa; replacement of an acidic residue such as Aspartic acid and Glutamic acid with another acidic residue; replacement of a residue bearing an amide group, such as Asparagine and Glutamine, with another residue bearing an amide group; exchange of a basic residue such as Lysine and Arginine with another basic residue; and replacement of an aromatic residue such as Phenylalanine, Tyrosine with another aromatic residue. Other variants are those in which one or more of the amino acid residues of the polypeptides of the invention includes a substituent group.

Other variants within the scope of the invention are those in which the polypeptide is associated with another compound, such as a compound to increase the half-life of the polypeptide, for example, polyethylene glycol.

Additional variants within the scope of the invention are those in which additional amino acids are fused to the polypeptide, such as a leader sequence, a secretory sequence, a proprotein sequence or a sequence which facilitates purification, enrichment, or stabilization of the polypeptide.

In some aspects, the variants, fragments, derivatives and analogs of the polypeptides of the invention retain the same biological function or activity as the exemplary polypeptides, e.g., pectate lyase activity, as described herein. In other aspects, the variant, fragment, derivative, or analog includes a proprotein, such that the variant, fragment, derivative, or analog can be activated by cleavage of the proprotein portion to produce an active polypeptide.

Optimizing Codons to Achieve High Levels of Protein Expression in Host Cells

The invention provides methods for modifying pectate lyase-encoding nucleic acids to modify codon usage. In one aspect, the invention provides methods for modifying codons in a nucleic acid encoding a pectate lyase to increase or decrease its expression in a host cell. The invention also provides nucleic acids encoding a pectate lyase modified to increase its expression in a host cell, pectate lyase so modified, and methods of making the modified pectate lyases. The method comprises identifying a “non-preferred” or a “less preferred” codon in pectate lyase-encoding nucleic acid and replacing one or more of these non-preferred or less preferred codons with a “preferred codon” encoding the same amino acid as the replaced codon and at least one non-preferred or less preferred codon in the nucleic acid has been replaced by a preferred codon encoding the same amino acid. A preferred codon is a codon over-represented in coding sequences in genes in the host cell and a non-preferred or less preferred codon is a codon under-represented in coding sequences in genes in the host cell.

Host cells for expressing the nucleic acids, expression cassettes and vectors of the invention include bacteria, yeast, fungi, plant cells, insect cells and mammalian cells. Thus, the invention provides methods for optimizing codon usage in all of these cells, codon-altered nucleic acids and polypeptides made by the codon-altered nucleic acids. Exemplary host cells include gram negative bacteria, such as Escherichia coli; gram positive bacteria, such as any Streptomyces, Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactococcus lactis, Lactococcus cremoris, any Bacillus, e.g., Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus. Exemplary host cells also include eukaryotic organisms, e.g., various yeast, such as Saccharomyces sp., including Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Pichia pastoris, and Kluyveromyces lactis, Hansenula polymorpha, Aspergillus niger, and mammalian cells and cell lines and insect cells and cell lines. Thus, the invention also includes nucleic acids and polypeptides optimized for expression in these organisms and species.

For example, the codons of a nucleic acid encoding a pectate lyase isolated from a bacterial cell are modified such that the nucleic acid is optimally expressed in a bacterial cell different from the bacteria from which the pectate lyase was derived, a yeast, a fungi, a plant cell, an insect cell or a mammalian cell. Methods for optimizing codons are well known in the art, see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,737; Baca (2000) Int. J. Parasitol. 30:113-118; Hale (1998) Protein Expr. Purif. 12:185-188; Narum (2001) Infect. Immun. 69:7250-7253. See also Narum (2001) Infect. Immun. 69:7250-7253, describing optimizing codons in mouse systems; Outchkourov (2002) Protein Expr. Purif. 24:18-24, describing optimizing codons in yeast; Feng (2000) Biochemistry 39:15399-15409, describing optimizing codons in E. coli; Humphreys (2000) Protein Expr. Purif. 20:252-264, describing optimizing codon usage that affects secretion in E. coli.

Synthetic Gene Reassembly

In one aspect, the present invention provides a non-stochastic method termed synthetic gene reassembly (e.g., GeneReassembly™, see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,537,776) for, e.g., modifying pectate lyases of the invention or building new pectate lyases within the scope of the invention. GeneReassembly™ differs from stochastic shuffling in that the nucleic acid building blocks are not shuffled or concatenated or chimerized randomly, but rather are assembled non-stochastically.

The synthetic gene reassembly method does not depend on the presence of a high level of homology between polynucleotides to be shuffled. The invention can be used to non-stochastically generate libraries (or sets) of progeny molecules comprised of over 10¹⁰⁰ different chimeras. Conceivably, synthetic gene reassembly can even be used to generate libraries comprised of over 10¹⁰⁰⁰ different progeny chimeras.

Thus, in one aspect, the invention provides a non-stochastic method of producing a set of finalized chimeric nucleic acid molecules having an overall assembly order that is chosen by design, which method is comprised of the steps of generating by design a plurality of specific nucleic acid building blocks having serviceable mutually compatible ligatable ends and assembling these nucleic acid building blocks, such that a designed overall assembly order is achieved.

In one aspect, synthetic gene reassembly comprises a method of: 1) preparing a progeny generation of molecule(s) (including a molecule comprising a polynucleotide sequence, e.g., a molecule comprising a polypeptide coding sequence), that is mutagenized to achieve at least one point mutation, addition, deletion, and/or chimerization, from one or more ancestral or parental generation template(s); 2) screening the progeny generation molecule(s), e.g., using a high throughput method, for at least one property of interest (such as an improvement in an enzyme activity); 3) optionally obtaining and/or cataloguing structural and/or and functional information regarding the parental and/or progeny generation molecules; and 4) optionally repeating any of steps 1) to 3). In one aspect, there is generated (e.g., from a parent polynucleotide template), in what is termed “codon site-saturation mutagenesis,” a progeny generation of polynucleotides, each having at least one set of up to three contiguous point mutations (i.e. different bases comprising a new codon), such that every codon (or every family of degenerate codons encoding the same amino acid) is represented at each codon position. Corresponding to, and encoded by, this progeny generation of polynucleotides, there is also generated a set of progeny polypeptides, each having at least one single amino acid point mutation. In a one aspect, there is generated, in what is termed “amino acid site-saturation mutagenesis”, one such mutant polypeptide for each of the 19 naturally encoded polypeptide-forming alpha-amino acid substitutions at each and every amino acid position along the polypeptide. This yields, for each and every amino acid position along the parental polypeptide, a total of 20 distinct progeny polypeptides including the original amino acid, or potentially more than 21 distinct progeny polypeptides if additional amino acids are used either instead of or in addition to the 20 naturally encoded amino acids

Thus, in another aspect, this approach is also serviceable for generating mutants containing, in addition to and/or in combination with the 20 naturally encoded polypeptide-forming alpha-amino acids, other rare and/or not naturally-encoded amino acids and amino acid derivatives. In yet another aspect, this approach is also serviceable for generating mutants by the use of, in addition to and/or in combination with natural or unaltered codon recognition systems of suitable hosts, altered, mutagenized, and/or designer codon recognition systems (such as in a host cell with one or more altered tRNA molecules.

In yet another aspect, this invention relates to recombination and more specifically to a method for preparing polynucleotides encoding a polypeptide by a method of in vivo re-assortment of polynucleotide sequences containing regions of partial homology, assembling the polynucleotides to form at least one polynucleotide and screening the polynucleotides for the production of polypeptide(s) having a useful property.

In yet another aspect, this invention is serviceable for analyzing and cataloguing, with respect to any molecular property (e.g. an enzymatic activity) or combination of properties allowed by current technology, the effects of any mutational change achieved (including particularly saturation mutagenesis). Thus, a comprehensive method is provided for determining the effect of changing each amino acid in a parental polypeptide into each of at least 19 possible substitutions. This allows each amino acid in a parental polypeptide to be characterized and catalogued according to its spectrum of potential effects on a measurable property of the polypeptide.

In one aspect, an intron may be introduced into a chimeric progeny molecule by way of a nucleic acid building block. Introns often have consensus sequences at both termini in order to render them operational. In addition to enabling gene splicing, introns may serve an additional purpose by providing sites of homology to other nucleic acids to enable homologous recombination. For this purpose, and potentially others, it may be sometimes desirable to generate a large nucleic acid building block for introducing an intron. If the size is overly large easily generating by direct chemical synthesis of two single stranded oligos, such a specialized nucleic acid building block may also be generated by direct chemical synthesis of more than two single stranded oligos or by using a polymerase-based amplification reaction

The mutually compatible ligatable ends of the nucleic acid building blocks to be assembled are considered to be “serviceable” for this type of ordered assembly if they enable the building blocks to be coupled in predetermined orders. Thus, in one aspect, the overall assembly order in which the nucleic acid building blocks can be coupled is specified by the design of the ligatable ends and, if more than one assembly step is to be used, then the overall assembly order in which the nucleic acid building blocks can be coupled is also specified by the sequential order of the assembly step(s). In a one aspect of the invention, the annealed building pieces are treated with an enzyme, such as a ligase (e.g., T4 DNA ligase) to achieve covalent bonding of the building pieces.

Coupling can occur in a manner that does not make use of every nucleotide in a participating overhang. The coupling is particularly lively to survive (e.g. in a transformed host) if the coupling reinforced by treatment with a ligase enzyme to form what may be referred to as a “gap ligation” or a “gapped ligation”. This type of coupling can contribute to generation of unwanted background product(s), but it can also be used advantageously increase the diversity of the progeny library generated by the designed ligation reassembly. Certain overhangs are able to undergo self-coupling to form a palindromic coupling. A coupling is strengthened substantially if it is reinforced by treatment with a ligase enzyme. Lack of 5′ phosphates on these overhangs can be used advantageously to prevent this type of palindromic self-ligation. Accordingly, this invention provides that nucleic acid building blocks can be chemically made (or ordered) that lack a 5′ phosphate group. Alternatively, they can be removed, e.g. by treatment with a phosphatase enzyme, such as a calf intestinal alkaline phosphatase (CIAP), in order to prevent palindromic self-ligations in ligation reassembly processes.

Transgenic Non-human Animals

The invention provides transgenic non-human animals comprising a nucleic acid, a polypeptide (e.g., a pectate lyase), an expression cassette or vector or a transfected or transformed cell of the invention. The invention also provides methods of making and using these transgenic non-human animals.

The transgenic non-human animals can be, e.g., goats, rabbits, sheep, pigs, cows, rats and mice, comprising the nucleic acids of the invention. These animals can be used, e.g., as in vivo models to study pectate lyase activity, or, as models to screen for agents that change the pectate lyase activity in vivo. The coding sequences for the polypeptides to be expressed in the transgenic non-human animals can be designed to be constitutive, or, under the control of tissue-specific, developmental-specific or inducible transcriptional regulatory factors. Transgenic non-human animals can be designed and generated using any method known in the art; see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,211,428; 6,187,992; 6,156,952; 6,118,044; 6,111,166; 6,107,541; 5,959,171; 5,922,854; 5,892,070; 5,880,327; 5,891,698; 5,639,940; 5,573,933; 5,387,742; 5,087,571, describing making and using transformed cells and eggs and transgenic mice, rats, rabbits, sheep, pigs and cows. See also, e.g., Pollock (1999) J. Immunol. Methods 231:147-157, describing the production of recombinant proteins in the milk of transgenic dairy animals; Baguisi (1999) Nat. Biotechnol. 17:456-461, demonstrating the production of transgenic goats. U.S. Pat. No. 6,211,428, describes making and using transgenic non-human mammals which express in their brains a nucleic acid construct comprising a DNA sequence. U.S. Pat. No. 5,387,742, describes injecting cloned recombinant or synthetic DNA sequences into fertilized mouse eggs, implanting the injected eggs in pseudo-pregnant females, and growing to term transgenic mice whose cells express proteins related to the pathology of Alzheimer's disease. U.S. Pat. No. 6,187,992, describes making and using a transgenic mouse whose genome comprises a disruption of the gene encoding amyloid precursor protein (APP).

“Knockout animals” can also be used to practice the methods of the invention. For example, in one aspect, the transgenic or modified animals of the invention comprise a “knockout animal,” e.g., a “knockout mouse,” engineered not to express an endogenous gene, which is replaced with a gene expressing a pectate lyase of the invention, or, a fusion protein comprising a pectate lyase of the invention.

Transgenic Plants and Seeds

The invention provides transgenic plants and seeds comprising a nucleic acid, a polypeptide (e.g., a pectate lyase), an expression cassette or vector or a transfected or transformed cell of the invention. The invention also provides plant products, e.g., oils, seeds, leaves, extracts and the like, comprising a nucleic acid and/or a polypeptide (e.g., a pectate lyase) of the invention. The transgenic plant can be dicotyledonous (a dicot) or monocotyledonous (a monocot). The invention also provides methods of making and using these transgenic plants and seeds. The transgenic plant or plant cell expressing a polypeptide of the present invention may be constructed in accordance with any method known in the art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,309,872.

Nucleic acids and expression constructs of the invention can be introduced into a plant cell by any means. For example, nucleic acids or expression constructs can be introduced into the genome of a desired plant host, or, the nucleic acids or expression constructs can be episomes. Introduction into the genome of a desired plant can be such that the host's pectate lyase production is regulated by endogenous transcriptional or translational control elements. The invention also provides “knockout plants” where insertion of gene sequence by, e.g., homologous recombination, has disrupted the expression of the endogenous gene. Means to generate “knockout” plants are well-known in the art, see, e.g., Strepp (1998) Proc Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95:4368-4373; Miao (1995) Plant J 7:359-365. See discussion on transgenic plants, below.

The nucleic acids of the invention can be used to confer desired traits on essentially any plant, e.g., on starch-producing plants, such as potato, wheat, rice, barley, and the like. Nucleic acids of the invention can be used to manipulate metabolic pathways of a plant in order to optimize or alter host's expression of pectate lyase. The can change pectate lyase activity in a plant. Alternatively, a pectate lyase of the invention can be used in production of a transgenic plant to produce a compound not naturally produced by that plant. This can lower production costs or create a novel product.

In one aspect, the first step in production of a transgenic plant involves making an expression construct for expression in a plant cell. These techniques are well known in the art. They can include selecting and cloning a promoter, a coding sequence for facilitating efficient binding of ribosomes to mRNA and selecting the appropriate gene terminator sequences. One exemplary constitutive promoter is CaMV35S, from the cauliflower mosaic virus, which generally results in a high degree of expression in plants. Other promoters are more specific and respond to cues in the plant's internal or external environment. An exemplary light-inducible promoter is the promoter from the cab gene, encoding the major chlorophyll a/b binding protein.

In one aspect, the nucleic acid is modified to achieve greater expression in a plant cell. For example, a sequence of the invention is likely to have a higher percentage of A-T nucleotide pairs compared to that seen in a plant, some of which prefer G-C nucleotide pairs. Therefore, A-T nucleotides in the coding sequence can be substituted with G-C nucleotides without significantly changing the amino acid sequence to enhance production of the gene product in plant cells.

Selectable marker gene can be added to the gene construct in order to identify plant cells or tissues that have successfully integrated the transgene. This may be necessary because achieving incorporation and expression of genes in plant cells is a rare event, occurring in just a few percent of the targeted tissues or cells. Selectable marker genes encode proteins that provide resistance to agents that are normally toxic to plants, such as antibiotics or herbicides. Only plant cells that have integrated the selectable marker gene will survive when grown on a medium containing the appropriate antibiotic or herbicide. As for other inserted genes, marker genes also require promoter and termination sequences for proper function.

In one aspect, making transgenic plants or seeds comprises incorporating sequences of the invention and, optionally, marker genes into a target expression construct (e.g., a plasmid), along with positioning of the promoter and the terminator sequences. This can involve transferring the modified gene into the plant through a suitable method. For example, a construct may be introduced directly into the genomic DNA of the plant cell using techniques such as electroporation and microinjection of plant cell protoplasts, or the constructs can be introduced directly to plant tissue using ballistic methods, such as DNA particle bombardment. For example, see, e.g., Christou (1997) Plant Mol. Biol. 35:197-203; Pawlowski (1996) Mol. Biotechnol. 6:17-30; Klein (1987) Nature 327:70-73; Takumi (1997) Genes Genet. Syst. 72:63-69, discussing use of particle bombardment to introduce transgenes into wheat; and Adam (1997) supra, for use of particle bombardment to introduce YACs into plant cells. For example, Rinehart (1997) supra, used particle bombardment to generate transgenic cotton plants. Apparatus for accelerating particles is described U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,580; and, the commercially available BioRad (Biolistics) PDS-2000 particle acceleration instrument; see also, John, U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,148; and Ellis, U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,730, describing particle-mediated transformation of gymnosperms.

In one aspect, protoplasts can be immobilized and injected with a nucleic acids, e.g., an expression construct Although plant regeneration from protoplasts is not easy with cereals, plant regeneration is possible in legumes using somatic embryogenesis from protoplast derived callus. Organized tissues can be transformed with naked DNA using gene gun technique, where DNA is coated on tungsten microprojectiles, shot 1/100th the size of cells, which carry the DNA deep into cells and organelles. Transformed tissue is then induced to regenerate, usually by somatic embryogenesis. This technique has been successful in several cereal species including maize and rice.

Nucleic acids, e.g., expression constructs, can also be introduced in to plant cells using recombinant viruses. Plant cells can be transformed using viral vectors, such as, e.g., tobacco mosaic virus derived vectors (Rouwendal (1997) Plant Mol. Biol. 33:989-999), see Porta (1996) “Use of viral replicons for the expression of genes in plants,” Mol. Biotechnol. 5:209-221.

Alternatively, nucleic acids, e.g., an expression construct, can be combined with suitable T-DNA flanking regions and introduced into a conventional Agrobacterium tumefaciens host vector. The virulence functions of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens host will direct the insertion of the construct and adjacent marker into the plant cell DNA when the cell is infected by the bacteria. Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation techniques, including disarming and use of binary vectors, are well described in the scientific literature. See, e.g., Horsch (1984) Science 233:496-498; Fraley (1983) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 80:4803 (1983); Gene Transfer to Plants, Potrykus, ed. (Springer-Verlag, Berlin 1995). The DNA in an A. tumefaciens cell is contained in the bacterial chromosome as well as in another structure known as a Ti (tumor-inducing) plasmid. The Ti plasmid contains a stretch of DNA termed T-DNA (˜20 kb long) that is transferred to the plant cell in the infection process and a series of vir (virulence) genes that direct the infection process. A. tumefaciens can only infect a plant through wounds: when a plant root or stem is wounded it gives off certain chemical signals, in response to which, the vir genes of A. tumefaciens become activated and direct a series of events necessary for the transfer of the T-DNA from the Ti plasmid to the plant's chromosome. The T-DNA then enters the plant cell through the wound. One speculation is that the T-DNA waits until the plant DNA is being replicated or transcribed, then inserts itself into the exposed plant DNA. In order to use A. tumefaciens as a transgene vector, the tumor-inducing section of T-DNA have to be removed, while retaining the T-DNA border regions and the vir genes. The transgene is then inserted between the T-DNA border regions, where it is transferred to the plant cell and becomes integrated into the plant's chromosomes.

The invention provides for the transformation of monocotyledonous plants using the nucleic acids of the invention, including important cereals, see Hiei (1997) Plant Mol. Biol. 35:205-218. See also, e.g., Horsch, Science (1984) 233:496; Fraley (1983) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 80:4803; Thykjaer (1997) supra; Park (1996) Plant Mol. Biol. 32:1135-1148, discussing T-DNA integration into genomic DNA. See also D'Halluin, U.S. Pat. No. 5,712,135, describing a process for the stable integration of a DNA comprising a gene that is functional in a cell of a cereal, or other monocotyledonous plant.

In one aspect, the third step can involve selection and regeneration of whole plants capable of transmitting the incorporated target gene to the next generation. Such regeneration techniques rely on manipulation of certain phytohormones in a tissue culture growth medium, typically relying on a biocide and/or herbicide marker that has been introduced together with the desired nucleotide sequences. Plant regeneration from cultured protoplasts is described in Evans et al., Protoplasts Isolation and Culture, Handbook of Plant Cell Culture, pp. 124-176, MacMillilan Publishing Company, New York, 1983; and Binding, Regeneration of Plants, Plant Protoplasts, pp. 21-73, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 1985. Regeneration can also be obtained from plant callus, explants, organs, or parts thereof. Such regeneration techniques are described generally in Klee (1987) Ann. Rev. of Plant Phys. 38:467-486. To obtain whole plants from transgenic tissues such as immature embryos, they can be grown under controlled environmental conditions in a series of media containing nutrients and hormones, a process known as tissue culture. Once whole plants are generated and produce seed, evaluation of the progeny begins.

After the expression cassette is stably incorporated in transgenic plants, it can be introduced into other plants by sexual crossing. Any of a number of standard breeding techniques can be used, depending upon the species to be crossed. Since transgenic expression of the nucleic acids of the invention leads to phenotypic changes, plants comprising the recombinant nucleic acids of the invention can be sexually crossed with a second plant to obtain a final product. Thus, the seed of the invention can be derived from a cross between two transgenic plants of the invention, or a cross between a plant of the invention and another plant. The desired effects (e.g., expression of the polypeptides of the invention to produce a plant in which flowering behavior is altered) can be enhanced when both parental plants express the polypeptides (e.g., a pectate lyase) of the invention. The desired effects can be passed to future plant generations by standard propagation means.

The nucleic acids and polypeptides of the invention are expressed in or inserted in any plant or seed. Transgenic plants of the invention can be dicotyledonous or monocotyledonous. Examples of monocot transgenic plants of the invention are grasses, such as meadow grass (blue grass, Poa), forage grass such as festuca, lolium, temperate grass, such as Agrostis, and cereals, e.g., wheat, oats, rye, barley, rice, sorghum, and maize (corn). Examples of dicot transgenic plants of the invention are tobacco, legumes, such as lupins, potato, sugar beet, pea, bean and soybean, and cruciferous plants (family Brassicaceae), such as cauliflower, rape seed, and the closely related model organism Arabidopsis thaliana. Thus, the transgenic plants and seeds of the invention include a broad range of plants, including, but not limited to, species from the genera Anacardium, Arachis, Asparagus, Atropa, Avena, Brassica, Citrus, Citrullus, Capsicum, Carthamus, Cocos, Coffea, Cucumis, Cucurbita, Daucus, Elaeis, Fragaria, Glycine, Gossypium, Helianthus, Heterocallis, Hordeum, Hyoscyamus, Lactuca, Linum, Lolium, Lupinus, Lycopersicon, Malus, Manihot, Majorana, Medicago, Nicotiana, Olea, Oryza, Panieum, Pannisetum, Persea, Phaseolus, Pistachia, Pisum, Pyrus, Prunus, Raphanus, Ricinus, Secale, Senecio, Sinapis, Solanum, Sorghum, Theobromus, Trigonelia, Triticum, Vicia, Vitis, Vigna, and Zea.

In alternative embodiments, the nucleic acids of the invention are expressed in plants which contain fiber cells, including, e.g., cotton, silk cotton tree (Kapok, Ceiba pentandra), desert willow, creosote bush, winterfat, balsa, ramie, kenaf, hemp, roselle, jute, sisal abaca and flax. In alternative embodiments, the transgenic plants of the invention can be members of the genus Gossypium, including members of any Gossypium species, such as G. arboreum; G. herbaceum, G. barbadense, and G. hirsutum.

The invention also provides for transgenic plants to be used for producing large amounts of the polypeptides (e.g., a pectate lyase or antibody) of the invention. For example, see Palmgren (1997) Trends Genet. 13:348; Chong (1997) Transgenic Res. 6:289-296 (producing human milk protein beta-casein in transgenic potato plants using an auxin-inducible, bidirectional mannopine synthase (mas1′,2′) promoter with Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated leaf disc transformation methods).

Using known procedures, one of skill can screen for plants of the invention by detecting the increase or decrease of transgene mRNA or protein in transgenic plants. Means for detecting and quantitation of mRNAs or proteins are well known in the art.

Polypeptides and Peptides

In one aspect, the invention provides isolated or recombinant polypeptides having a sequence identity (e.g., at least about 50%, 51%, 52%, 53%, 54%, 55%, 56%, 57%, 58%, 59%, 60%, 61%, 62%, 63%, 64%, 65%, 66%, 67%, 68%, 69%, 70%, 71%, 72%, 73%, 74%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or more, or complete (100%) sequence identity) to an exemplary sequence of the invention, e.g., SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:12, SEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:16, SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:22, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:26, SEQ ID NO:28, SEQ ID NO:30, SEQ ID NO:32, SEQ ID NO:34, SEQ ID NO:36, SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:40, SEQ ID NO:42, SEQ ID NO:44, SEQ ID NO:46, SEQ ID NO:48, SEQ ID NO:50, SEQ ID NO:52, SEQ ID NO:54, SEQ ID NO:56, SEQ ID NO:58, SEQ ID NO:60, SEQ ID NO:62, SEQ ID NO:64, SEQ ID NO:66, SEQ ID NO:68, SEQ ID NO:70, SEQ ID NO:72, SEQ ID NO:74, SEQ ID NO:76, SEQ ID NO:78, SEQ ID NO:80, SEQ ID NO:82, SEQ ID NO:84, SEQ ID NO:86, SEQ ID NO:88, SEQ ID NO:90, SEQ ID NO:92, SEQ ID NO:94, SEQ ID NO:96, SEQ ID NO:98, SEQ ID NO:100, SEQ ID NO:102, SEQ ID NO:104, SEQ ID NO:106, SEQ ID NO:108, SEQ ID NO:110, SEQ ID NO:112, SEQ ID NO:114, SEQ ID NO:116, SEQ ID NO:118, SEQ ID NO:120, SEQ ID NO:122, SEQ ID NO:124, SEQ ID NO:126, SEQ ID NO:128, SEQ ID NO:130, SEQ ID NO:132, SEQ ID NO:134. In one aspect, the polypeptide has a pectate lyase (e.g., pectinase) activity.

The identity can be over the full length of the polypeptide, or, the identity can be over a region of at least about 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700 or more residues. Polypeptides of the invention can also be shorter than the full length of exemplary polypeptides. In alternative aspects, the invention provides polypeptides (peptides, fragments) ranging in size between about 5 and the full length of a polypeptide, e.g., an enzyme, such as a pectate lyase; exemplary sizes being of about 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, or more residues, e.g., contiguous residues of an exemplary pectate lyase of the invention. Peptides of the invention can be useful as, e.g., labeling probes, antigens, toleragens, motifs, pectate lyase active sites, carbohydrate binding domains, and the like. Polypeptides of the invention also include antibodies capable of binding to an enzyme of the invention.

The polypeptides of the invention include pectate lyases in an active or inactive form. For example, the polypeptides of the invention include proproteins before “maturation” or processing of prepro sequences, e.g., by a proprotein-processing enzyme, such as a proprotein convertase to generate an “active” mature protein. The polypeptides of the invention include pectate lyases inactive for other reasons, e.g., before “activation” by a post-translational processing event, e.g., an endo- or exo-peptidase or proteinase action, a phosphorylation event, an amidation, a glycosylation or a sulfation, a dimerization event, and the like. Methods for identifying “prepro” domain sequences and signal sequences are well known in the art, see, e.g., Van de Ven (1993) Crit. Rev. Oncog. 4(2): 115-136. For example, to identify a prepro sequence, the protein is purified from the extracellular space and the N-terminal protein sequence is determined and compared to the unprocessed form.

The polypeptides of the invention include all active forms, including active subsequences, e.g., catalytic domains or active sites, of an enzyme of the invention. In one aspect, the invention provides catalytic domains or active sites as set forth below. In one aspect, the invention provides a peptide or polypeptide comprising or consisting of an active site domain as predicted through use of a database such as Pfam (which is a large collection of multiple sequence alignments and hidden Markov models covering many common protein families, The Pfam protein families database, A. Bateman, E. Birney, L. Cerruti, R. Durbin, L. Etwiller, S. R. Eddy, S. Griffiths-Jones, K. L. Howe, M. Marshall, and E. L. L. Sonnhammer, Nucleic Acids Research, 30(1):276-280, 2002) or equivalent.

The invention includes polypeptides with or without a signal sequence and/or a prepro sequence. The invention includes polypeptides with heterologous signal sequences and/or prepro sequences. The prepro sequence (including a sequence of the invention used as a heterologous prepro domain) can be located on the amino terminal or the carboxy terminal end of the protein. The invention also includes isolated or recombinant signal sequences, prepro sequences and catalytic domains (e.g., “active sites”) comprising sequences of the invention.

Polypeptides and peptides of the invention can be isolated from natural sources, be synthetic, or be recombinantly generated polypeptides. Peptides and proteins can be recombinantly expressed in vitro or in vivo. The peptides and polypeptides of the invention can be made and isolated using any method known in the art. Polypeptide and peptides of the invention can also be synthesized, whole or in part, using chemical methods well known in the art. See e.g., Caruthers (1980) Nucleic Acids Res. Symp. Ser. 215-223; Horn (1980) Nucleic Acids Res. Symp. Ser. 225-232; Banga, A. K, Therapeutic Peptides and Proteins, Formulation, Processing and Delivery Systems (1995) Technomic Publishing Co., Lancaster, Pa. For example, peptide synthesis can be performed using various solid-phase techniques (see e.g., Roberge (1995) Science 269:202; Merrifield (1997) Methods Enzymol. 289:3-13) and automated synthesis may be achieved, e.g., using the ABI 431A Peptide Synthesizer (Perkin Elmer) in accordance with the instructions provided by the manufacturer.

The peptides and polypeptides of the invention can also be glycosylated. The glycosylation can be added post-translationally either chemically or by cellular biosynthetic mechanisms, wherein the later incorporates the use of known glycosylation motifs, which can be native to the sequence or can be added as a peptide or added in the nucleic acid coding sequence. The glycosylation can be O-linked or N-linked.

The peptides and polypeptides of the invention, as defined above, include all “mimetic” and “peptidomimetic” forms. The terms “mimetic” and “peptidomimetic” refer to a synthetic chemical compound which has substantially the same structural and/or functional characteristics of the polypeptides of the invention. The mimetic can be either entirely composed of synthetic, non-natural analogues of amino acids, or, is a chimeric molecule of partly natural peptide amino acids and partly non-natural analogs of amino acids. The mimetic can also incorporate any amount of natural amino acid conservative substitutions as long as such substitutions also do not substantially alter the mimetic's structure and/or activity. As with polypeptides of the invention which are conservative variants, routine experimentation will determine whether a mimetic is within the scope of the invention, i.e., that its structure and/or function is not substantially altered. Thus, in one aspect, a mimetic composition is within the scope of the invention if it has a pectate lyase activity.

Polypeptide mimetic compositions of the invention can contain any combination of non-natural structural components. In alternative aspect, mimetic compositions of the invention include one or all of the following three structural groups: a) residue linkage groups other than the natural amide bond (“peptide bond”) linkages; b) non-natural residues in place of naturally occurring amino acid residues; or c) residues which induce secondary structural mimicry, i.e., to induce or stabilize a secondary structure, e.g., a beta turn, gamma turn, beta sheet, alpha helix conformation, and the like. For example, a polypeptide of the invention can be characterized as a mimetic when all or some of its residues are joined by chemical means other than natural peptide bonds. Individual peptidomimetic residues can be joined by peptide bonds, other chemical bonds or coupling means, such as, e.g., glutaraldehyde, N-hydroxysuccinimide esters, bifunctional maleimides, N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) or N,N′-diisopropylcarbodiimide (DIC). Linking groups that can be an alternative to the traditional amide bond (“peptide bond”) linkages include, e.g., ketomethylene (e.g., —C(═O)—CH₂— for —C(═O)—NH—), aminomethylene (CH₂—NH), ethylene, olefin (CH═CH), ether (CH₂—O), thioether (CH₂—S), tetrazole (CN₄—), thiazole, retroamide, thioamide, or ester (see, e.g., Spatola (1983) in Chemistry and Biochemistry of Amino Acids, Peptides and Proteins, Vol. 7, pp 267-357, “Peptide Backbone Modifications,” Marcell Dekker, NY).

A polypeptide of the invention can also be characterized as a mimetic by containing all or some non-natural residues in place of naturally occurring amino acid residues. Non-natural residues are well described in the scientific and patent literature; a few exemplary non-natural compositions useful as mimetics of natural amino acid residues and guidelines are described below. Mimetics of aromatic amino acids can be generated by replacing by, e.g., D- or L-naphylalanine; D- or L-phenylglycine; D- or L-2 thieneylalanine; D- or L-1, -2, 3-, or 4-pyreneylalanine; D- or L-3 thieneylalanine; D- or L-(2-pyridinyl)-alanine; D- or L-(3-pyridinyl)-alanine; D- or L-(2-pyrazinyl)-alanine; D- or L-(4-isopropyl)-phenylglycine; D-(trifluoromethyl)-phenylglycine; D-(trifluoromethyl)-phenylalanine; D-p-fluoro-phenylalanine; D- or L-p-biphenylphenylalanine; D- or L-p-methoxy-biphenylphenylalanine; D- or L-2-indole(alkyl)alanines; and, D- or L-alkylamines, where alkyl can be substituted or unsubstituted methyl, ethyl, propyl, hexyl, butyl, pentyl, isopropyl, iso-butyl, sec-isotyl, iso-pentyl, or a non-acidic amino acids. Aromatic rings of a non-natural amino acid include, e.g., thiazolyl, thiophenyl, pyrazolyl, benzimidazolyl, naphthyl, furanyl, pyrrolyl, and pyridyl aromatic rings.

Mimetics of acidic amino acids can be generated by substitution by, e.g., non-carboxylate amino acids while maintaining a negative charge; (phosphono)alanine; sulfated threonine. Carboxyl side groups (e.g., aspartyl or glutamyl) can also be selectively modified by reaction with carbodiimides (R′—N—C—N—R′) such as, e.g., 1-cyclohexyl-3(2-morpholinyl-(4-ethyl)carbodiimide or 1-ethyl-3(4-azonia-4,4-dimetholpentyl)carbodiimide. Aspartyl or glutamyl can also be converted to asparaginyl and glutaminyl residues by reaction with ammonium ions. Mimetics of basic amino acids can be generated by substitution with, e.g., (in addition to lysine and arginine) the amino acids ornithine, citrulline, or (guanidino)-acetic acid, or (guanidino)alkyl-acetic acid, where alkyl is defined above. Nitrile derivative (e.g., containing the CN-moiety in place of COOH) can be substituted for asparagine or glutamine. Asparaginyl and glutaminyl residues can be deaminated to the corresponding aspartyl or glutamyl residues. Arginine residue mimetics can be generated by reacting arginyl with, e.g., one or more conventional reagents, including, e.g., phenylglyoxal, 2,3-butanedione, 1,2-cyclo-hexanedione, or ninhydrin, preferably under alkaline conditions. Tyrosine residue mimetics can be generated by reacting tyrosyl with, e.g., aromatic diazonium compounds or tetranitromethane. N-acetylimidizol and tetranitromethane can be used to form O-acetyl tyrosyl species and 3-nitro derivatives, respectively. Cysteine residue mimetics can be generated by reacting cysteinyl residues with, e.g., alpha-haloacetates such as 2-chloroacetic acid or chloroacetamide and corresponding amines; to give carboxymethyl or carboxyamidomethyl derivatives. Cysteine residue mimetics can also be generated by reacting cysteinyl residues with, e.g., bromo-trifluoroacetone, alpha-bromo-beta-(5-imidozoyl) propionic acid; chloroacetyl phosphate, N-alkylmaleimides, 3-nitro-2-pyridyl disulfide; methyl 2-pyridyl disulfide; p-chloromercuribenzoate; 2-chloromercuri-4 nitrophenol; or, chloro-7-nitrobenzo-oxa-1,3-diazole. Lysine mimetics can be generated (and amino terminal residues can be altered) by reacting lysinyl with, e.g., succinic or other carboxylic acid anhydrides. Lysine and other alpha-amino-containing residue mimetics can also be generated by reaction with imidoesters, such as methyl picolinimidate, pyridoxal phosphate, pyridoxal, chloroborohydride, trinitro-benzenesulfonic acid, O-methylisourea, 2,4, pentanedione, and transamidase-catalyzed reactions with glyoxylate. Mimetics of methionine can be generated by reaction with, e.g., methionine sulfoxide. Mimetics of proline include, e.g., pipecolic acid, thiazolidine carboxylic acid, 3- or 4-hydroxy proline, dehydroproline, 3- or 4-methylproline, or 3,3,-dimethylproline. Histidine residue mimetics can be generated by reacting histidyl with, e.g., diethylprocarbonate or para-bromophenacyl bromide. Other mimetics include, e.g., those generated by hydroxylation of proline and lysine; phosphorylation of the hydroxyl groups of seryl or threonyl residues; methylation of the alpha-amino groups of lysine, arginine and histidine; acetylation of the N-terminal amine; methylation of main chain amide residues or substitution with N-methyl amino acids; or amidation of C-terminal carboxyl groups.

A residue, e.g., an amino acid, of a polypeptide of the invention can also be replaced by an amino acid (or peptidomimetic residue) of the opposite chirality. Thus, any amino acid naturally occurring in the L-configuration (which can also be referred to as the R or S, depending upon the structure of the chemical entity) can be replaced with the amino acid of the same chemical structural type or a peptidomimetic, but of the opposite chirality, referred to as the D-amino acid, but also can be referred to as the R- or S-form.

The invention also provides methods for modifying the polypeptides of the invention by either natural processes, such as post-translational processing (e.g., phosphorylation, acylation, etc), or by chemical modification techniques, and the resulting modified polypeptides. Modifications can occur anywhere in the polypeptide, including the peptide backbone, the amino acid side-chains and the amino or carboxyl termini. It will be appreciated that the same type of modification may be present in the same or varying degrees at several sites in a given polypeptide. Also a given polypeptide may have many types of modifications. Modifications include acetylation, acylation, ADP-ribosylation, amidation, covalent attachment of flavin, covalent attachment of a heme moiety, covalent attachment of a nucleotide or nucleotide derivative, covalent attachment of a lipid or lipid derivative, covalent attachment of a phosphatidylinositol, cross-linking cyclization, disulfide bond formation, demethylation, formation of covalent cross-links, formation of cysteine, formation of pyroglutamate, formylation, gamma-carboxylation, glycosylation, GPI anchor formation, hydroxylation, iodination, methylation, myristolyation, oxidation, pegylation, proteolytic processing, phosphorylation, prenylation, racemization, selenoylation, sulfation, and transfer-RNA mediated addition of amino acids to protein such as arginylation. See, e.g., Creighton, T. E., Proteins—Structure and Molecular Properties 2nd Ed., W.H. Freeman and Company, New York (1993); Posttranslational Covalent Modification of Proteins, B. C. Johnson, Ed., Academic Press, New York, pp. 1-12 (1983).

Solid-phase chemical peptide synthesis methods can also be used to synthesize the polypeptide or fragments of the invention. Such method have been known in the art since the early 1960's (Merrifield, R. B., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 85:2149-2154, 1963) (See also Stewart, J. M. and Young, J. D., Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis, 2nd Ed., Pierce Chemical Co., Rockford, Ill., pp. 11-12)) and have recently been employed in commercially available laboratory peptide design and synthesis kits (Cambridge Research Biochemicals). Such commercially available laboratory kits have generally utilized the teachings of H. M. Geysen et al, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA, 81:3998 (1984) and provide for synthesizing peptides upon the tips of a multitude of “rods” or “pins” all of which are connected to a single plate. When such a system is utilized, a plate of rods or pins is inverted and inserted into a second plate of corresponding wells or reservoirs, which contain solutions for attaching or anchoring an appropriate amino acid to the pin's or rod's tips. By repeating such a process step, i.e., inverting and inserting the rod's and pin's tips into appropriate solutions, amino acids are built into desired peptides. In addition, a number of available FMOC peptide synthesis systems are available. For example, assembly of a polypeptide or fragment can be carried out on a solid support using an Applied Biosystems, Inc. Model 431A™ automated peptide synthesizer. Such equipment provides ready access to the peptides of the invention, either by direct synthesis or by synthesis of a series of fragments that can be coupled using other known techniques.

The invention includes pectate lyases of the invention with and without signal. The polypeptide comprising a signal sequence of the invention can be a pectate lyase of the invention or another pectate lyase or another enzyme or other polypeptide.

The invention includes immobilized pectate lyases, anti-pectate lyase antibodies and fragments thereof. The invention provides methods for inhibiting pectate lyase activity, e.g., using dominant negative mutants or anti-pectate lyase antibodies of the invention. The invention includes heterocomplexes, e.g., fusion proteins, heterodimers, etc., comprising the pectate lyases of the invention.

Polypeptides of the invention can have a pectate lyase activity under various conditions, e.g., extremes in pH and/or temperature, oxidizing agents, and the like. The invention provides methods leading to alternative pectate lyase preparations with different catalytic efficiencies and stabilities, e.g., towards temperature, oxidizing agents and changing wash conditions. In one aspect, pectate lyase variants can be produced using techniques of site-directed mutagenesis and/or random mutagenesis. In one aspect, directed evolution can be used to produce a great variety of pectate lyase variants with alternative specificities and stability.

The proteins of the invention are also useful as research reagents to identify pectate lyase modulators, e.g., activators or inhibitors of pectate lyase activity. Briefly, test samples (compounds, broths, extracts, and the like) are added to pectate lyase assays to determine their ability to inhibit substrate cleavage. Inhibitors identified in this way can be used in industry and research to reduce or prevent undesired proteolysis. As with pectate lyases, inhibitors can be combined to increase the spectrum of activity.

The invention also provides methods of discovering new pectate lyases using the nucleic acids, polypeptides and antibodies of the invention. In one aspect, lambda phage libraries are screened for expression-based discovery of pectate lyases. In one aspect, the invention uses lambda phage libraries in screening to allow detection of toxic clones; improved access to substrate; reduced need for engineering a host, by-passing the potential for any bias resulting from mass excision of the library; and, faster growth at low clone densities. Screening of lambda phage libraries can be in liquid phase or in solid phase. In one aspect, the invention provides screening in liquid phase. This gives a greater flexibility in assay conditions; additional substrate flexibility; higher sensitivity for weak clones; and ease of automation over solid phase screening.

The invention provides screening methods using the proteins and nucleic acids of the invention and robotic automation to enable the execution of many thousands of biocatalytic reactions and screening assays in a short period of time, e.g., per day, as well as ensuring a high level of accuracy and reproducibility (see discussion of arrays, below). As a result, a library of derivative compounds can be produced in a matter of weeks. For further teachings on modification of molecules, including small molecules, see PCT/US94/09174.

The present invention includes pectate lyase enzymes which are non-naturally occurring carbonyl hydrolase variants (e.g., pectate lyase variants) having a different proteolytic activity, stability, substrate specificity, pH profile and/or performance characteristic as compared to the precursor carbonyl hydrolase from which the amino acid sequence of the variant is derived. Specifically, such pectate lyase variants have an amino acid sequence not found in nature, which is derived by substitution of a plurality of amino acid residues of a precursor pectate lyase with different amino acids. The precursor pectate lyase may be a naturally-occurring pectate lyase or a recombinant pectate lyase. The useful pectate lyase variants encompass the substitution of any of the naturally occurring L-amino acids at the designated amino acid residue positions.

Gene Site Saturation Mutagenesis (GSSM™) Variants

The invention provides pectate lyase variants and the nucleic acids that encode them. In one aspect, the invention provides SEQ ID NO:134, encoded by SEQ ID NO:133, respectively. SEQ ID NO:133 is a nucleic acid variant generated by gene site saturation mutagenesis (GSSM™) of SEQ ID NO:131 (which encodes SEQ ID NO:132). SEQ ID NO:131 and SEQ ID NO:132 are truncated variations of the nucleic acid as set forth in SEQ ID NO:77, encoding SEQ ID NO:78, respectively. The following Table 1 summarizes the amino acid changes resulting from the GSSM™-generated variations in their respective encoding nucleic acids (the full length SEQ ID NO:78 encoded by SEQ ID NO:77, and the truncated “parent” SEQ ID NO:132 encoded by SEQ ID NO:131:

TABLE 1 Mutation - Nucleotide including position Nucleotide Amino amino in truncated position in full acid position in acid position wild-type length wild-type full length wild- in SEQ ID gene (SEQ ID gene (SEQ ID type gene (SEQ NOS: 131, 132 NOS: 131, 132) NOS: 77, 78) ID NOS: 77, 78) A118H 352-354 1423-1425 475 A182V 544-546 1615-1617 539 T190L 568-570 1639-1641 547 A197G 589-591 1660-1662 554 S208K 622-624 1693-1695 565 T219M 655-657 1726-1728 576 T223E 667-669 1738-1740 580 S255R 763-765 1834-1836 612 S263K 787-789 1858-1860 620 N275Y 823-825 1894-1896 632 Y309W 925-927 1996-1998 666 S312V 934-936 2005-2007 669

FIG. 6 is a table summarizing exemplary sequence changes in pectate lyase polypeptides of the invention, characterized as “upmutants.” The upmutants identified as A-S are combinatorial upmutants (each have several GSSM™-generated changes). The upmutants identified as AA-LL are single upmutants (one GSSM™-generated change each).

FIG. 7 is a table summarizing exemplary melting temperatures and specific activities (SA) of exemplary enzymes of the invention at various temperatures. Specific activity (U/mg pure enzyme) was measured at different temperatures at pH 9.5 in 25 mM Glycine NaOH 25 mM Tris HCl buffer. One unit of enzymatic activity was defined as the amount of enzyme that produced 1 μmol of unsaturated oligogalacturonides equivalent to 1 μmol of unsaturated digalacturonide per minute. Protein concentrations of the pure enzyme preparations were measured at A280 using a molar extinction coefficient of 73800 M−1cm−1 (1 A280 eq. to 0.50 mg/mL). Melting temperatures were determined with a differential scanning calorimeter.

In these Figures, mutant “N” has a sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:134, encoded by SEQ ID NO:133.

Pectate Lyase Signal Sequences, Pectin Methyl Esterase Domains and Catalytic Domains, Carbohydrate Binding Modules and Prepro Domains

The invention provides signal sequences (e.g., signal peptides (SPs)), prepro domains and catalytic domains (CDs). The SPs, prepro domains and/or CDs of the invention can be isolated or recombinant peptides or can be part of a fusion protein, e.g., as a heterologous domain in a chimeric protein. The invention provides nucleic acids encoding these catalytic domains (CDs), prepro domains and signal sequences (SPs, e.g., a peptide having a sequence comprising/consisting of amino terminal residues of a polypeptide of the invention).

The invention provides pectate lyase signal sequences (e.g., signal peptides (SPs)) and nucleic acids encoding these signal sequences, e.g., a peptide having a sequence comprising/consisting of amino terminal residues of a polypeptide of the invention, e.g., signal peptides (SPs) as set forth in Table 2, below. In one aspect, the invention provides a signal sequence comprising a peptide comprising/consisting of a sequence as set forth in residues 1 to 15, 1 to 16, 1 to 17, 1 to 18, 1 to 19, 1 to 20, 1 to 21, 1 to 22, 1 to 23, 1 to 24, 1 to 25, 1 to 26, 1 to 27, 1 to 28, 1 to 28, 1 to 30, 1 to 31, 1 to 32, 1 to 33, 1 to 34, 1 to 35, 1 to 36, 1 to 37, 1 to 38, 1 to 39, 1 to 40, 1 to 41, 1 to 42, 1 to 43, 1 to 44 of a polypeptide of the invention, e.g., SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:12, SEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:16, SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:22, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:26, SEQ ID NO:28, SEQ ID NO:30, SEQ ID NO:32, SEQ ID NO:34, SEQ ID NO:36, SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:40, SEQ ID NO:42, SEQ ID NO:44, SEQ ID NO:46, SEQ ID NO:48, SEQ ID NO:50, SEQ ID NO:52, SEQ ID NO:54, SEQ ID NO:56, SEQ ID NO:58, SEQ ID NO:60, SEQ ID NO:62, SEQ ID NO:64, SEQ ID NO:66, SEQ ID NO:68, SEQ ID NO:70, SEQ ID NO:72, SEQ ID NO:74, SEQ ID NO:76, SEQ ID NO:78, SEQ ID NO:80, SEQ ID NO:82, SEQ ID NO:84, SEQ ID NO:86, SEQ ID NO:88, SEQ ID NO:90, SEQ ID NO:92, SEQ ID NO:94, SEQ ID NO:96, SEQ ID NO:98, SEQ ID NO:100, SEQ ID NO:102, SEQ ID NO:104, SEQ ID NO:106, SEQ ID NO:108, SEQ ID NO:110, SEQ ID NO:112, SEQ ID NO:114, SEQ ID NO:116, SEQ ID NO:118, SEQ ID NO:120, SEQ ID NO:122, SEQ ID NO:124, SEQ ID NO:126, SEQ ID NO:128, SEQ ID NO:130, SEQ ID NO:132, SEQ ID NO:134.

The invention also provides pectate lyase pectin methyl esterase domains (PEDs) and catalytic domains (CDs) as set forth in Table 2, below.

The pectate lyase signal sequences (SPs), CDs, and/or prepro sequences of the invention can be isolated peptides, or, sequences joined to another hydrolase or a non-pectate lyase polypeptide, e.g., as a fusion (chimeric) protein. In one aspect, the invention provides polypeptides comprising pectate lyase signal sequences of the invention. In one aspect, polypeptides comprising pectate lyase signal sequences SPs, CDs, and/or prepro of the invention comprise sequences heterologous to pectate lyases of the invention (e.g., a fusion protein comprising an SP, CD, and/or prepro of the invention and sequences from another pectate lyase or a non-pectate lyase protein). In one aspect, the invention provides pectate lyases of the invention with heterologous SPs, CDs, and/or prepro sequences, e.g., sequences with a yeast signal sequence. An pectate lyase of the invention can comprise a heterologous SP and/or prepro in a vector, e.g., a pPIC series vector (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, Calif.).

Table 2 summarizes signal sequences (i.e., signal peptides in their isolated form), catalytic domains, carbohydrate binding modules and pectin methyl esterase domains of the invention. For example, Table 2 describes: in row 1, a signal peptide (SP) of the invention at resides 1 to 28 of SEQ ID NO:102 (encoded by SEQ ID NO:101) and a catalytic domain (CD) of the invention at residues 78-459 of SEQ ID NO:102; in row 2, a signal peptide (SP) of the invention at resides 1 to 21 of SEQ ID NO:2 (encoded by SEQ ID NO:1), a pectin methyl esterase domain (PED) at residues 28-308, and a catalytic domain (CD) of the invention at residues; 309-638; at row 3, etc.

TABLE 2 Modules (SP = signal peptide, CD = catalytic domain, CBM = carbohydrate binding module, PED = pectin methyl SEQ ID NO: esterase domain) 101, 102 SP, 1-28, CD; 78-459 1, 2 SP; 1-21, PED; 28-308, CD; 309-638 103, 104 SP; 1-26, CD; 27-366 105, 106 SP; 1-43, CD; 44-400 107, 108 SP; 1-31, CD; 32-357 109, 110 SP; 1-21, PED; 28-308, CD309-637 11, 12 CD; 1-388 111, 112 SP; 1-27, CD; 82-461 113, 114 SP; 1-18, CD; 19-388 115, 116 CD; 1-331 117, 118 SP; 1-24, CD; 25-574 119, 120 CBM; 1-61, CBM; 134-257, CD; 258-615 121, 122 SP; 1-29, CD; 30-348 123, 124 SP; 1-21, CD; 22-390 125, 126 CD; 24-325 127, 128 SP; 1-24, CD; 125-482 129, 130 CD; 38-326 13, 14 SP; 1-22, CD; 23-354 15, 16 SP; 1-33, CD; 34-359 17, 18 CD; 1-348 19, 20 CD; 1-373 21, 22 SP; 1-23, CD; 24-422 23, 24 SP; 1-18, CD; 19-393 25, 26 SP; 1-15, CD; 16-397 27, 28 SP; 1-21, PED; 28-308, CD; 309-638 29, 30 SP; 1-27, CD; 77-459 3, 4 SP; 1-28, CD; 81-476 31, 32 CD; 1-348 33, 34 SP; 1-18, CD; 19-346 35, 36 CD; 1-356 37, 38 SP; 1-35, CD; 36-387 39, 40 SP; 1-32, CD; 33-358 41, 42 SP; 1-21, CD; 22-359 43, 44 CBM; 4-89, CBM; 152-275, CD; 277-633 45, 46 SP; 1-20, CD; 21-328 47, 48 SP; 1-21, CD; 22-358 49, 50 SP; 1-16, CD; 17-340 5, 6 CD; 1-358 51, 52 CD; 1-376 53, 54 SP; 1-31, CBM; 32-124, CBM; 180-303, CD; 304-658 55, 56 CD; 1-374 57, 58 CD; 1-389 59, 60 SP; 1-24, CD; 25-359 61, 62 CD; 90-407 63, 64 SP; 1-16, CD; 17-340 65, 66 SP; 1-28, CD; 29-436 67, 68 SP; 1-32, CBM; 33-126, CBM; 184-307, CD; 308-664 69, 70 SP; 1-22, CD; 23-344 7, 8 CD; 1-374 71, 72 SP; 1-20, CD; 21-345 73, 74 SP; 1-22, CD; 23-406 75, 76 SP; 1-34, CD; 110-555 77, 78 SP; 1-33, CBM; 34-126, CBM; 199-322, CD; 323-680 79, 80 SP; 1-28, CD; 81-458 81, 82 SP; 1-30, CD; 31-354 83, 84 PED; 268-556, CD; 782-1164 85, 86 CD; 1-383 87, 88 SP; 1-32, CD; 33-375 89, 90 SP; 1-31, CD; 32-459 9, 10 SP; 1-29, CD; 30-371 91, 92 CD; 1-374 93, 94 CD; 1-353 95, 96 SP; 1-31, CD; 32-357 97, 98 PED; 45-333, CD; 336-698 99, 100 SP; 1-35, CD; 36-593

In one aspect, SPs, CDs, and/or prepro sequences of the invention are identified following identification of novel pectate lyase polypeptides. The pathways by which proteins are sorted and transported to their proper cellular location are often referred to as protein targeting pathways. One of the most important elements in all of these targeting systems is a short amino acid sequence at the amino terminus of a newly synthesized polypeptide called the signal sequence. This signal sequence directs a protein to its appropriate location in the cell and is removed during transport or when the protein reaches its final destination. Most lysosomal, membrane, or secreted proteins have an amino-terminal signal sequence that marks them for translocation into the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum. The signal sequences can vary in length from 13 to 45 or more amino acid residues. Various methods of recognition of signal sequences are known to those of skill in the art. For example, in one aspect, novel pectate lyase signal peptides are identified by a method referred to as SignalP. SignalP uses a combined neural network which recognizes both signal peptides and their cleavage sites. (Nielsen, et al., “Identification of prokaryotic and eukaryotic signal peptides and prediction of their cleavage sites.” Protein Engineering, vol. 10, no. 1, p. 1-6 (1997).

In some aspects pectate lyases of the invention do not have SPs and/or prepro sequences, and/or catalytic domains (CDs). In one aspect, the invention provides polypeptides (e.g., pectate lyases) lacking all or part of an SP, a CD and/or a prepro domain. In one aspect, the invention provides a nucleic acid sequence encoding a signal sequence (SP), a CD, and/or prepro from one pectate lyase operably linked to a nucleic acid sequence of a different pectate lyase or, optionally, a signal sequence (SPs) and/or prepro domain from a non-pectate lyase protein may be desired.

The invention also provides isolated or recombinant polypeptides comprising signal sequences (SPs), prepro domains, pectin methyl esterase domains (PEDs) and catalytic domains (CDs) of the invention and heterologous sequences. The heterologous sequences are sequences not naturally associated (e.g., to a pectate lyase) with an SP, prepro domain, PED, and/or CD. The sequence to which the SP, prepro domains, PED and/or CD are not naturally associated can be on the SP's, prepro domain's, PED's, and/or CD's amino terminal end, carboxy terminal end, and/or on both ends of the SP, prepro domain, PED and/or CD. In one aspect, the invention provides an isolated or recombinant polypeptide comprising (or consisting of) a polypeptide comprising a signal sequence (SP), prepro domain, pectin methyl esterase domain (PED) and/or catalytic domain (CD) of the invention with the proviso that it is not associated with any sequence to which it is naturally associated (e.g., a pectate lyase sequence). Similarly in one aspect, the invention provides isolated or recombinant nucleic acids encoding these polypeptides. Thus, in one aspect, the isolated or recombinant nucleic acid of the invention comprises coding sequence for a signal sequence (SP), prepro domain, pectin methyl esterase domain (PED) and/or catalytic domain (CD) of the invention and a heterologous sequence (i.e., a sequence not naturally associated with the a signal sequence (SP), prepro domain, pectin methyl esterase domain (PED) and/or catalytic domain (CD) of the invention). The heterologous sequence can be on the 3′ terminal end, 5′ terminal end, and/or on both ends of the SP, prepro domain, PED and/or CD coding sequence.

Glycosylation

The peptides and polypeptides of the invention (e.g., pectate lyases, antibodies) can also be glycosylated, for example, in one aspect, comprising at least one glycosylation site, e.g., an N-linked or O-linked glycosylation. In one aspect, the polypeptide can be glycosylated after being expressed in a P. pastoris or a S. pombe. The glycosylation can be added post-translationally either chemically or by cellular biosynthetic mechanisms, wherein the later incorporates the use of known glycosylation motifs, which can be native to the sequence or can be added as a peptide or added in the nucleic acid coding sequence.

Hybrid (Chimeric) Pectate Lyases and Peptide Libraries

In one aspect, the invention provides hybrid pectate lyases and fusion proteins, including peptide libraries, comprising sequences of the invention. The peptide libraries of the invention can be used to isolate peptide modulators (e.g., activators or inhibitors) of targets, such as pectate lyase substrates, receptors, enzymes. The peptide libraries of the invention can be used to identify formal binding partners of targets, such as ligands, e.g., cytokines, hormones and the like. In one aspect, the invention provides chimeric proteins comprising a signal sequence (SP), pectin methyl esterase domain (PED) and/or catalytic domain (CD) of the invention and a heterologous sequence (see above).

In one aspect, the fusion proteins of the invention (e.g., the peptide moiety) are conformationally stabilized (relative to linear peptides) to allow a higher binding affinity for targets. The invention provides fusions of pectate lyases of the invention and other peptides, including known and random peptides. They can be fused in such a manner that the structure of the pectate lyases is not significantly perturbed and the peptide is metabolically or structurally conformationally stabilized. This allows the creation of a peptide library that is easily monitored both for its presence within cells and its quantity.

Amino acid sequence variants of the invention can be characterized by a predetermined nature of the variation, a feature that sets them apart from a naturally occurring form, e.g., an allelic or interspecies variation of a pectate lyase sequence. In one aspect, the variants of the invention exhibit the same qualitative biological activity as the naturally occurring analogue. Alternatively, the variants can be selected for having modified characteristics. In one aspect, while the site or region for introducing an ammo acid sequence variation is predetermined, the mutation per se need not be predetermined. For example, in order to optimize the performance of a mutation at a given site, random mutagenesis may be conducted at the target codon or region and the expressed pectate lyase variants screened for the optimal combination of desired activity. Techniques for making substitution mutations at predetermined sites in DNA having a known sequence are well known, as discussed herein for example, M13 primer mutagenesis and PCR mutagenesis. Screening of the mutants can be done using assays of proteolytic activities. In alternative aspects, amino acid substitutions can be single residues; insertions can be on the order of from about 1 to 20 amino acids, although considerably larger insertions can be done. Deletions can range from about 1 to about 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 residues or more. To obtain a final derivative with the optimal properties, substitutions, deletions, insertions or any combination thereof may be used. Generally, these changes are done on a few amino acids to minimize the alteration of the molecule. However, larger changes may be tolerated in certain circumstances.

The invention provides pectate lyases where the structure of the polypeptide backbone, the secondary or the tertiary structure, e.g., an alpha-helical or beta-sheet structure, has been modified. In one aspect, the charge or hydrophobicity has been modified. In one aspect, the bulk of a side chain has been modified. Substantial changes in function or immunological identity are made by selecting substitutions that are less conservative. For example, substitutions can be made which more significantly affect: the structure of the polypeptide backbone in the area of the alteration, for example a alpha-helical or a beta-sheet structure; a charge or a hydrophobic site of the molecule, which can be at an active site; or a side chain. The invention provides substitutions in polypeptide of the invention where (a) a hydrophilic residues, e.g. seryl or threonyl, is substituted for (or by) a hydrophobic residue, e.g. leucyl, isoleucyl, phenylalanyl, valyl or alanyl; (b) a cysteine or proline is substituted for (or by) any other residue; (c) a residue having an electropositive side chain, e.g. lysyl, arginyl, or histidyl, is substituted for (or by) an electronegative residue, e.g. glutamyl or aspartyl; or (d) a residue having a bulky side chain, e.g. phenylalanine, is substituted for (or by) one not having a side chain, e.g. glycine. The variants can exhibit the same qualitative biological activity (i.e. pectate lyase activity) although variants can be selected to modify the characteristics of the pectate lyases as needed.

In one aspect, pectate lyases of the invention comprise epitopes or purification tags, signal sequences or other fusion sequences, etc. In one aspect, the pectate lyases of the invention can be fused to a random peptide to form a fusion polypeptide. By “fused” or “operably linked” herein is meant that the random peptide and the pectate lyase are linked together, in such a manner as to minimize the disruption to the stability of the pectate lyase structure, e.g., it retains pectate lyase activity. The fusion polypeptide (or fusion polynucleotide encoding the fusion polypeptide) can comprise further components as well, including multiple peptides at multiple loops.

In one aspect, the peptides and nucleic acids encoding them are randomized, either fully randomized or they are biased in their randomization, e.g. in nucleotide/residue frequency generally or per position. “Randomized” means that each nucleic acid and peptide consists of essentially random nucleotides and amino acids, respectively. In one aspect, the nucleic acids which give rise to the peptides can be chemically synthesized, and thus may incorporate any nucleotide at any position. Thus, when the nucleic acids are expressed to form peptides, any amino acid residue may be incorporated at any position. The synthetic process can be designed to generate randomized nucleic acids, to allow the formation of all or most of the possible combinations over the length of the nucleic acid, thus forming a library of randomized nucleic acids. The library can provide a sufficiently structurally diverse population of randomized expression products to affect a probabilistically sufficient range of cellular responses to provide one or more cells exhibiting a desired response. Thus, the invention provides an interaction library large enough so that at least one of its members will have a structure that gives it affinity for some molecule, protein, or other factor.

Screening Methodologies and “On-line” Monitoring Devices

In practicing the methods of the invention, a variety of apparatus and methodologies can be used to in conjunction with the polypeptides and nucleic acids of the invention, e.g., to screen polypeptides for pectate lyase activity, to screen compounds as potential modulators, e.g., activators or inhibitors, of a pectate lyase activity, for antibodies that bind to a polypeptide of the invention, for nucleic acids that hybridize to a nucleic acid of the invention, to screen for cells expressing a polypeptide of the invention and the like.

Capillary Arrays

Capillary arrays, such as the GIGAMATRIX™, Diversa Corporation, San Diego, Calif., can be used to in the methods of the invention. Nucleic acids or polypeptides of the invention can be immobilized to or applied to an array, including capillary arrays. Arrays can be used to screen for or monitor libraries of compositions (e.g., small molecules, antibodies, nucleic acids, etc.) for their ability to bind to or modulate the activity of a nucleic acid or a polypeptide of the invention. Capillary arrays provide another system for holding and screening samples. For example, a sample screening apparatus can include a plurality of capillaries formed into an array of adjacent capillaries, wherein each capillary comprises at least one wall defining a lumen for retaining a sample. The apparatus can further include interstitial material disposed between adjacent capillaries in the array, and one or more reference indicia formed within of the interstitial material. A capillary for screening a sample, wherein the capillary is adapted for being bound in an array of capillaries, can include a first wall defining a lumen for retaining the sample, and a second wall formed of a filtering material, for filtering excitation energy provided to the lumen to excite the sample.

A polypeptide or nucleic acid, e.g., a ligand, can be introduced into a first component into at least a portion of a capillary of a capillary array. Each capillary of the capillary array can comprise at least one wall defining a lumen for retaining the first component. An air bubble can be introduced into the capillary behind the first component. A second component can be introduced into the capillary, wherein the second component is separated from the first component by the air bubble. A sample of interest can be introduced as a first liquid labeled with a detectable particle into a capillary of a capillary array, wherein each capillary of the capillary array comprises at least one wall defining a lumen for retaining the first liquid and the detectable particle, and wherein the at least one wall is coated with a binding material for binding the detectable particle to the at least one wall. The method can further include removing the first liquid from the capillary tube, wherein the bound detectable particle is maintained within the capillary, and introducing a second liquid into the capillary tube.

The capillary array can include a plurality of individual capillaries comprising at least one outer wall defining a lumen. The outer wall of the capillary can be one or more walls fused together. Similarly, the wall can define a lumen that is cylindrical, square, hexagonal or any other geometric shape so long as the walls form a lumen for retention of a liquid or sample. The capillaries of the capillary array can be held together in close proximity to form a planar structure. The capillaries can be bound together, by being fused (e.g., where the capillaries are made of glass), glued, bonded, or clamped side-by-side. The capillary array can be formed of any number of individual capillaries, for example, a range from 100 to 4,000,000 capillaries. A capillary array can form a micro titer plate having about 100,000 or more individual capillaries bound together.

Arrays, or “Biochips”

Nucleic acids or polypeptides of the invention can be immobilized to or applied to an array. Arrays can be used to screen for or monitor libraries of compositions (e.g., small molecules, antibodies, nucleic acids, etc.) for their ability to bind to or modulate the activity of a nucleic acid or a polypeptide of the invention. For example, in one aspect of the invention, a monitored parameter is transcript expression of a pectate lyase gene. One or more, or, all the transcripts of a cell can be measured by hybridization of a sample comprising transcripts of the cell, or, nucleic acids representative of or complementary to transcripts of a cell, by hybridization to immobilized nucleic acids on an array, or “biochip.” By using an “array” of nucleic acids on a microchip, some or all of the transcripts of a cell can be simultaneously quantified. Alternatively, arrays comprising genomic nucleic acid can also be used to determine the genotype of a newly engineered strain made by the methods of the invention. Polypeptide arrays” can also be used to simultaneously quantify a plurality of proteins. The present invention can be practiced with any known “array,” also referred to as a “microarray” or “nucleic acid array” or “polypeptide array” or “antibody array” or “biochip,” or variation thereof. Arrays are generically a plurality of “spots” or “target elements,” each target element comprising a defined amount of one or more biological molecules, e.g., oligonucleotides, immobilized onto a defined area of a substrate surface for specific binding to a sample molecule, e.g., mRNA transcripts.

In practicing the methods of the invention, any known array and/or method of making and using arrays can be incorporated in whole or in part, or variations thereof, as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,277,628; 6,277,489; 6,261,776; 6,258,606; 6,054,270; 6,048,695; 6,045,996; 6,022,963; 6,013,440; 5,965,452; 5,959,098; 5,856,174; 5,830,645; 5,770,456; 5,632,957; 5,556,752; 5,143,854; 5,807,522; 5,800,992; 5,744,305; 5,700,637; 5,556,752; 5,434,049; see also, e.g., WO 99/51773; WO 99/09217; WO 97/46313; WO 96/17958; see also, e.g., Johnston (1998) Curr. Biol. 8:R171-R174; Schummer (1997) Biotechniques 23:1087-1092; Kern (1997) Biotechniques 23:120-124; Solinas-Toldo (1997) Genes, Chromosomes & Cancer 20:399-407; Bowtell (1999) Nature Genetics Supp. 21:25-32. See also published U.S. patent applications Nos. 20010018642; 20010019827; 20010016322; 20010014449; 20010014448; 20010012537; 20010008765.

Antibodies and Antibody-based Screening Methods

The invention provides isolated or recombinant antibodies that specifically bind to a pectate lyase of the invention. These antibodies can be used to isolate, identify or quantify the pectate lyases of the invention or related polypeptides. These antibodies can be used to isolate other polypeptides within the scope the invention or other related pectate lyases. The antibodies can be designed to bind to an active site of a pectate lyase. Thus, the invention provides methods of inhibiting pectate lyases using the antibodies of the invention.

The invention provides fragments of the enzymes of the invention, including immunogenic fragments of a polypeptide of the invention, e.g., SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:12, SEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:16, SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:22, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:26, SEQ ID NO:28, SEQ ID NO:30, SEQ ID NO:32, SEQ ID NO:34, SEQ ID NO:36, SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:40, SEQ ID NO:42, SEQ ID NO:44, SEQ ID NO:46, SEQ ID NO:48, SEQ ID NO:50, SEQ ID NO:52, SEQ ID NO:54, SEQ ID NO:56, SEQ ID NO:58, SEQ ID NO:60, SEQ ID NO:62, SEQ ID NO:64, SEQ ID NO:66, SEQ ID NO:68, SEQ ID NO:70, SEQ ID NO:72, SEQ ID NO:74, SEQ ID NO:76, SEQ ID NO:78, SEQ ID NO:80, SEQ ID NO:82, SEQ ID NO:84, SEQ ID NO:86, SEQ ID NO:88, SEQ ID NO:90, SEQ ID NO:92, SEQ ID NO:94, SEQ ID NO:96, SEQ ID NO:98, SEQ ID NO:100, SEQ ID NO:102, SEQ ID NO:104, SEQ ID NO:106, SEQ ID NO:108, SEQ ID NO:110, SEQ ID NO:112, SEQ ID NO:114, SEQ ID NO:116, SEQ ID NO:118, SEQ ID NO:120, SEQ ID NO:122, SEQ ID NO:124, SEQ ID NO:126, SEQ ID NO:128, SEQ ID NO:130, SEQ ID NO:132, SEQ ID NO:134. The immunogenic peptides of the invention (e.g., the immunogenic fragments of SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:12, SEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:16, SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:22, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:26, SEQ ID NO:28, SEQ ID NO:30, SEQ ID NO:32, SEQ ID NO:34, SEQ ID NO:36, SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:40, SEQ ID NO:42, SEQ ID NO:44, SEQ ID NO:46, SEQ ID NO:48, SEQ ID NO:50, SEQ ID NO:52, SEQ ID NO:54, SEQ ID NO:56, SEQ ID NO:58, SEQ ID NO:60, SEQ ID NO:62, SEQ ID NO:64, SEQ ID NO:66, SEQ ID NO:68, SEQ ID NO:70, SEQ ID NO:72, SEQ ID NO:74, SEQ ID NO:76, SEQ ID NO:78, SEQ ID NO:80, SEQ ID NO:82, SEQ ID NO:84, SEQ ID NO:86, SEQ ID NO:88, SEQ ID NO:90, SEQ ID NO:92, SEQ ID NO:94, SEQ ID NO:96, SEQ ID NO:98, SEQ ID NO:100, SEQ ID NO:102, SEQ ID NO:104, SEQ ID NO:106, SEQ ID NO:108, SEQ ID NO:110, SEQ ID NO:112, SEQ ID NO:114, SEQ ID NO:116, SEQ ID NO:118, SEQ ID NO:120, SEQ ID NO:122, SEQ ID NO:124, SEQ ID NO:126, SEQ ID NO:128, SEQ ID NO:130, SEQ ID NO:132, SEQ ID NO:134) can further comprise adjuvants, carriers and the like.

The antibodies can be used in immunoprecipitation, staining, immunoaffinity columns, and the like. If desired, nucleic acid sequences encoding for specific antigens can be generated by immunization followed by isolation of polypeptide or nucleic acid, amplification or cloning and immobilization of polypeptide onto an array of the invention. Alternatively, the methods of the invention can be used to modify the structure of an antibody produced by a cell to be modified, e.g., an antibody's affinity can be increased or decreased. Furthermore, the ability to make or modify antibodies can be a phenotype engineered into a cell by the methods of the invention.

Methods of immunization, producing and isolating antibodies (polyclonal and monoclonal) are known to those of skill in the art and described in the scientific and patent literature, see, e.g., Coligan, CURRENT PROTOCOLS IN IMMUNOLOGY, Wiley/Greene, NY (1991); Stites (eds.) BASIC AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY (7th ed.) Lange Medical Publications, Los Altos, Calif. (“Stites”); Goding, MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE (2d ed.) Academic Press, New York, N.Y. (1986); Kohler (1975) Nature 256:495; Harlow (1988) ANTIBODIES, A LABORATORY MANUAL, Cold Spring Harbor Publications, New York. Antibodies also can be generated in vitro, e.g., using recombinant antibody binding site expressing phage display libraries, in addition to the traditional in vivo methods using animals. See, e.g., Hoogenboom (1997) Trends Biotechnol. 15:62-70; Katz (1997) Annu. Rev. Biophys. Biomol. Struct. 26:27-45.

Polypeptides or peptides can be used to generate antibodies which bind specifically to the polypeptides, e.g., the pectate lyases, of the invention. The resulting antibodies may be used in immunoaffinity chromatography procedures to isolate or purify the polypeptide or to determine whether the polypeptide is present in a biological sample. In such procedures, a protein preparation, such as an extract, or a biological sample is contacted with an antibody capable of specifically binding to one of the polypeptides of the invention.

In immunoaffinity procedures, the antibody is attached to a solid support, such as a bead or other column matrix. The protein preparation is placed in contact with the antibody under conditions in which the antibody specifically binds to one of the polypeptides of the invention. After a wash to remove non-specifically bound proteins, the specifically bound polypeptides are eluted.

The ability of proteins in a biological sample to bind to the antibody may be determined using any of a variety of procedures familiar to those skilled in the art. For example, binding may be determined by labeling the antibody with a detectable label such as a fluorescent agent, an enzymatic label, or a radioisotope. Alternatively, binding of the antibody to the sample may be detected using a secondary antibody having such a detectable label thereon. Particular assays include ELISA assays, sandwich assays, radioimmunoassays, and Western Blots.

Polyclonal antibodies generated against the polypeptides of the invention can be obtained by direct injection of the polypeptides into an animal or by administering the polypeptides to a non-human animal. The antibody so obtained will then bind the polypeptide itself. In this manner, even a sequence encoding only a fragment of the polypeptide can be used to generate antibodies which may bind to the whole native polypeptide. Such antibodies can then be used to isolate the polypeptide from cells expressing that polypeptide.

For preparation of monoclonal antibodies, any technique which provides antibodies produced by continuous cell line cultures can be used. Examples include the hybridoma technique, the trioma technique, the human B-cell hybridoma technique, and the EBV-hybridoma technique (see, e.g., Cole (1985) in Monoclonal Antibodies and Cancer Therapy, Alan R. Liss, Inc., pp. 77-96).

Techniques described for the production of single chain antibodies (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,778) can be adapted to produce single chain antibodies to the polypeptides of the invention. Alternatively, transgenic mice may be used to express humanized antibodies to these polypeptides or fragments thereof.

Antibodies generated against the polypeptides of the invention may be used in screening for similar polypeptides (e.g., pectate lyases) from other organisms and samples. In such techniques, polypeptides from the organism are contacted with the antibody and those polypeptides which specifically bind the antibody are detected. Any of the procedures described above may be used to detect antibody binding.

Kits

The invention provides kits comprising the compositions, e.g., nucleic acids, expression cassettes, vectors, cells, transgenic seeds or plants or plant parts, polypeptides (e.g., pectate lyases) and/or antibodies of the invention. The kits also can contain instructional material teaching the methodologies and industrial uses of the invention, as described herein.

Measuring Metabolic Parameters

The methods of the invention provide whole cell evolution, or whole cell engineering, of a cell to develop a new cell strain having a new phenotype, e.g., a new or modified pectate lyase activity, by modifying the genetic composition of the cell. The genetic composition can be modified by addition to the cell of a nucleic acid of the invention. To detect the new phenotype, at least one metabolic parameter of a modified cell is monitored in the cell in a “real time” or “on-line” time frame. In one aspect, a plurality of cells, such as a cell culture, is monitored in “real time” or “on-line.” In one aspect, a plurality of metabolic parameters is monitored in “real time” or “on-line.” Metabolic parameters can be monitored using the pectate lyases of the invention.

Metabolic flux analysis (MFA) is based on a known biochemistry framework. A linearly independent metabolic matrix is constructed based on the law of mass conservation and on the pseudo-steady state hypothesis (PSSH) on the intracellular metabolites. In practicing the methods of the invention, metabolic networks are established, including the:

-   -   identity of all pathway substrates, products and intermediary         metabolites     -   identity of all the chemical reactions interconverting the         pathway metabolites, the stoichiometry of the pathway reactions,     -   identity of all the enzymes catalyzing the reactions, the enzyme         reaction kinetics,     -   the regulatory interactions between pathway components, e.g.         allosteric interactions, enzyme-enzyme interactions etc,     -   intracellular compartmentalization of enzymes or any other         supramolecular organization of the enzymes, and,     -   the presence of any concentration gradients of metabolites,         enzymes or effector molecules or diffusion barriers to their         movement.

Once the metabolic network for a given strain is built, mathematic presentation by matrix notion can be introduced to estimate the intracellular metabolic fluxes if the on-line metabolome data is available. Metabolic phenotype relies on the changes of the whole metabolic network within a cell. Metabolic phenotype relies on the change of pathway utilization with respect to environmental conditions, genetic regulation, developmental state and the genotype, etc. In one aspect of the methods of the invention, after the on-line MFA calculation, the dynamic behavior of the cells, their phenotype and other properties are analyzed by investigating the pathway utilization. For example, if the glucose supply is increased and the oxygen decreased during the yeast fermentation, the utilization of respiratory pathways will be reduced and/or stopped, and the utilization of the fermentative pathways will dominate. Control of physiological state of cell cultures will become possible after the pathway analysis. The methods of the invention can help determine how to manipulate the fermentation by determining how to change the substrate supply, temperature, use of inducers, etc. to control the physiological state of cells to move along desirable direction. In practicing the methods of the invention, the MFA results can also be compared with transcriptome and proteome data to design experiments and protocols for metabolic engineering or gene shuffling, etc.

In practicing the methods of the invention, any modified or new phenotype can be conferred and detected, including new or improved characteristics in the cell. Any aspect of metabolism or growth can be monitored.

Monitoring Expression of an mRNA Transcript

In one aspect of the invention, the engineered phenotype comprises increasing or decreasing the expression of an mRNA transcript (e.g., a pectate lyase message) or generating new (e.g., pectate lyase) transcripts in a cell. This increased or decreased expression can be traced by testing for the presence of a pectate lyase of the invention or by pectate lyase activity assays. mRNA transcripts, or messages, also can be detected and quantified by any method known in the art, including, e.g., Northern blots, quantitative amplification reactions, hybridization to arrays, and the like. Quantitative amplification reactions include, e.g., quantitative PCR, including, e.g., quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, or RT-PCR; quantitative real time RT-PCR, or “real-time kinetic RT-PCR” (see, e.g., Kreuzer (2001) Br. J. Haematol. 114:313-318; Xia (2001) Transplantation 72:907-914).

In one aspect of the invention, the engineered phenotype is generated by knocking out expression of a homologous gene. The gene's coding sequence or one or more transcriptional control elements can be knocked out, e.g., promoters or enhancers. Thus, the expression of a transcript can be completely ablated or only decreased.

In one aspect of the invention, the engineered phenotype comprises increasing the expression of a homologous gene. This can be effected by knocking out of a negative control element, including a transcriptional regulatory element acting in cis- or trans-, or, mutagenizing a positive control element. One or more, or, all the transcripts of a cell can be measured by hybridization of a sample comprising transcripts of the cell, or, nucleic acids representative of or complementary to transcripts of a cell, by hybridization to immobilized nucleic acids on an array.

Monitoring Expression of a Polypeptides, Peptides and Amino Acids

In one aspect of the invention, the engineered phenotype comprises increasing or decreasing the expression of a polypeptide (e.g., a pectate lyase) or generating new polypeptides in a cell. This increased or decreased expression can be traced by determining the amount of pectate lyase present or by pectate lyase activity assays. Polypeptides, peptides and amino acids also can be detected and quantified by any method known in the art, including, e.g., nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), spectrophotometry, radiography (protein radiolabeling), electrophoresis, capillary electrophoresis, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), thin layer chromatography (TLC), hyperdiffusion chromatography, various immunological methods, e.g. immunoprecipitation, immunodiffusion, immuno-electrophoresis, radioimmunoassays (RIAs), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), immuno-fluorescent assays, gel electrophoresis (e.g., SDS-PAGE), staining with antibodies, fluorescent activated cell sorter (FACS), pyrolysis mass spectrometry, Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectrometry, Raman spectrometry, GC-MS, and LC-Electrospray and cap-LC-tandem-electrospray mass spectrometries, and the like. Novel bioactivities can also be screened using methods, or variations thereof, described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,057,103. Furthermore, as discussed below in detail, one or more, or, all the polypeptides of a cell can be measured using a protein array.

Industrial Applications

Detergent Compositions

The invention provides detergent compositions comprising one or more polypeptides (e.g., pectate lyases) of the invention, and methods of making and using these compositions. The invention incorporates all methods of making and using detergent compositions, see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,413,928; 6,399,561; 6,365,561; 6,380,147. The detergent compositions can be a one and two part aqueous composition, a non-aqueous liquid composition, a cast solid, a granular form, a particulate form, a compressed tablet, a gel and/or a paste and a slurry form. The pectate lyases of the invention can also be used as a detergent additive product in a solid or a liquid form. Such additive products are intended to supplement or boost the performance of conventional detergent compositions and can be added at any stage of the cleaning process.

The invention also provides methods capable of removing gross food soils, films of food residue and other minor food compositions using these detergent compositions. Pectate lyases of the invention can facilitate the removal of starchy stains by means of catalytic hydrolysis or trans-elimination of pectins, including the disruption of plant and bacterial cell walls. Pectate lyases of the invention can be used in dishwashing detergents in textile laundering detergents.

The actual active enzyme content depends upon the method of manufacture of a detergent composition and is not critical, assuming the detergent solution has the desired enzymatic activity. In one aspect, the amount of pectate lyase present in the final solution ranges from about 0.001 mg to 0.5 mg per gram of the detergent composition. The particular enzyme chosen for use in the process and products of this invention depends upon the conditions of final utility, including the physical product form, use pH, use temperature, and soil types to be degraded or altered. The enzyme can be chosen to provide optimum activity and stability for any given set of utility conditions. In one aspect, the pectate lyases of the present invention are active in the pH ranges of from about 4 to about 12 and in the temperature range of from about 20° C. to about 95° C. The detergents of the invention can comprise cationic, semi-polar nonionic or zwitterionic surfactants; or, mixtures thereof.

Pectate lyases of the invention can be formulated into powdered and liquid detergents having pH between 4.0 and 12.0 at levels of about 0.01 to about 5% (preferably 0.1% to 0.5%) by weight. These detergent compositions can also include other enzymes such as proteases, cellulases, lipases or endoglycosidases, endo-beta.-1,4-glucanases, beta-glucanases, endo-beta-1,3(4)-glucanases, cutinases, peroxidases, laccases, amylases, glucoamylases, pectinases, reductases, oxidases, phenoloxidases, ligninases, pullulanases, arabinanases, hemicellulases, mannanases, xyloglucanases, xylanases, pectin acetyl esterases, rhamnogalacturonan acetyl esterases, polygalacturonases, rhamnogalacturonases, galactanases, pectin lyases, pectin methylesterases, cellobiohydrolases and/or transglutaminases. These detergent compositions can also include builders and stabilizers.

The addition of pectate lyases of the invention to conventional cleaning compositions does not create any special use limitation. In other words, any temperature and pH suitable for the detergent is also suitable for the compositions of the invention as long as the enzyme is active at or tolerant of the pH and/or temperature of the intended use. In addition, the pectate lyases of the invention can be used in a cleaning composition without detergents, again either alone or in combination with builders and stabilizers.

The present invention provides cleaning compositions including detergent compositions for cleaning hard surfaces, detergent compositions for cleaning fabrics, dishwashing compositions, oral cleaning compositions, denture cleaning compositions, and contact lens cleaning solutions.

In one aspect, the invention provides a method for washing an object comprising contacting the object with a polypeptide of the invention under conditions sufficient for washing. A pectate lyase of the invention may be included as a detergent additive. The detergent composition of the invention may, for example, be formulated as a hand or machine laundry detergent composition comprising a polypeptide of the invention. A laundry additive suitable for pre-treatment of stained fabrics can comprise a polypeptide of the invention. A fabric softener composition can comprise a pectate lyase of the invention. Alternatively, a pectate lyase of the invention can be formulated as a detergent composition for use in general household hard surface cleaning operations. In alternative aspects, detergent additives and detergent compositions of the invention may comprise one or more other enzymes such as a protease, a lipase, a cutinase, another pectate lyase, a carbohydrase, a cellulase, a pectinase, a mannanase, an arabinase, a galactanase, a xylanase, an oxidase, e.g., a lactase, and/or a peroxidase (see also, above). The properties of the enzyme(s) of the invention are chosen to be compatible with the selected detergent (i.e. pH-optimum, compatibility with other enzymatic and non-enzymatic ingredients, etc.) and the enzyme(s) is present in effective amounts. In one aspect, pectate lyase enzymes of the invention are used to remove malodorous materials from fabrics. Various detergent compositions and methods for making them that can be used in practicing the invention are described in, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,333,301; 6,329,333; 6,326,341; 6,297,038; 6,309,871; 6,204,232; 6,197,070; 5,856,164.

When formulated as compositions suitable for use in a laundry machine washing method, the pectate lyases of the invention can comprise both a surfactant and a builder compound. They can additionally comprise one or more detergent components, e.g., organic polymeric compounds, bleaching agents, additional enzymes, suds suppressors, dispersants, lime-soap dispersants, soil suspension and anti-redeposition agents and corrosion inhibitors. Laundry compositions of the invention can also contain softening agents, as additional detergent components. Such compositions containing carbohydrase can provide fabric cleaning, stain removal, whiteness maintenance, softening, color appearance, dye transfer inhibition and sanitization when formulated as laundry detergent compositions.

The density of the laundry detergent compositions of the invention can range from about 200 to 1500 g/liter, or, about 400 to 1200 g/liter, or, about 500 to 950 g/liter, or, 600 to 800 g/liter, of composition; this can be measured at about 20° C.

The “compact” form of laundry detergent compositions of the invention is best reflected by density and, in terms of composition, by the amount of inorganic filler salt. Inorganic filler salts are conventional ingredients of detergent compositions in powder form. In conventional detergent compositions, the filler salts are present in substantial amounts, typically 17% to 35% by weight of the total composition. In one aspect of the compact compositions, the filler salt is present in amounts not exceeding 15% of the total composition, or, not exceeding 10%, or, not exceeding 5% by weight of the composition. The inorganic filler salts can be selected from the alkali and alkaline-earth-metal salts of sulphates and chlorides, e.g., sodium sulphate.

Liquid detergent compositions of the invention can also be in a “concentrated form.” In one aspect, the liquid detergent compositions can contain a lower amount of water, compared to conventional liquid detergents. In alternative aspects, the water content of the concentrated liquid detergent is less than 40%, or, less than 30%, or, less than 20% by weight of the detergent composition. Detergent compounds of the invention can comprise formulations as described in WO 97/01629.

Treating Fibers and Textiles

The invention provides methods of treating fibers, fabrics or any pectate- or polygalacturonic acid-comprising material using one or more pectate lyases of the invention. The pectate lyases can be used in any fiber- or fabric-treating method, which are well known in the art, see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,261,828; 6,077,316; 6,024,766; 6,021,536; 6,017,751; 5,980,581; US Patent Publication No. 20020142438 A1. For example, pectate lyases of the invention can be used in fiber and/or fabric scouring. In one aspect, the feel and appearance of a fabric is improved by a method of the invention comprising contacting the fabric with a pectate lyase of the invention in a solution. In one aspect, the fabric is treated with the solution under pressure. For example, pectate lyases of the invention can be used in the removal of stains.

In one aspect, pectate lyases of the invention are applied during or after the weaving of textiles, or during the desizing stage, or during one or more additional fabric processing steps. During the weaving of textiles, the threads are exposed to considerable mechanical strain. Prior to weaving on mechanical looms, warp yarns are often coated with sizing starch or starch derivatives in order to increase their tensile strength and to prevent breaking. After the textiles have been woven, a fabric can proceed to a desizing stage. This can be followed by one or more additional fabric processing steps. Desizing is the act of removing “size” from textiles. After weaving, the size coating must be removed before further processing the fabric in order to ensure a homogeneous and wash-proof result.

The enzymes of the invention can be used to scour fabrics or any pectate- or polygalacturonic acid-comprising material, including cotton-containing fabrics, as detergent additives, e.g., in aqueous compositions. For the manufacture of clothes, the fabric can be cut and sewn into clothes or garments. These can be finished before or after the treatment. In particular, for the manufacture of denim jeans, different enzymatic finishing methods have been developed. The finishing of denim garment normally is initiated with an enzymatic desizing step, during which garments are subjected to the action of amylolytic enzymes in order to provide softness to the fabric and make the cotton more accessible to the subsequent enzymatic finishing steps. The invention provides methods of finishing denim garments, enzymatic desizing and providing softness to fabrics by using any combination of enzymes, such amylases, endoglucanases, and a pectate lyase of the invention.

In one aspect, an alkaline and thermostable amylase and pectate lyase are combined in a single bath desizing and bioscouring. Among advantages of combining desizing and scouring in one step are cost reduction and lower environmental impact due to savings in energy and water usage and lower waste production. Application conditions for desizing and bioscouring can be between about pH 8.5 to pH 10.0 and temperatures at about 40° C. and up. Low enzyme dosages (e.g., about 5 g per a ton of cotton) and short reaction times (e.g., about 15 minutes) can be used to obtain efficient desizing and scouring with out added calcium.

The pectate lyases of the invention can be used in combination with other carbohydrate degrading enzymes, e.g., cellulase, arabinanase, xyloglucanase, pectinase, xylanase, and the like, for the preparation of fibers or for cleaning of fibers. Proteases can also be used in combination. These can be used in combination with detergents. In one aspect, pectate lyases of the invention can be used in treatments to prevent the graying of a textile.

The pectate lyases of the invention can be used to treat any cellulosic material, including fibers (e.g., fibers from cotton, hemp, flax or linen), sewn and unsewn fabrics, e.g., knits, wovens, denims, yarns, and toweling, made from cotton, cotton blends or natural or manmade cellulosics (e.g. originating from xylan-containing cellulose fibers such as from wood pulp) or blends thereof. Examples of blends are blends of cotton or rayon/viscose with one or more companion material such as wool, synthetic fibers (e.g. polyamide fibers, acrylic fibers, polyester fibers, polyvinyl alcohol fibers, polyvinyl chloride fibers, polyvinylidene chloride fibers, polyurethane fibers, polyurea fibers, aramid fibers), and cellulose-containing fibers (e.g. rayon/viscose, ramie, hemp, flax/linen, jute, cellulose acetate fibers, lyocell).

The textile treating processes of the invention (for example, scouring using pectate lyases of the invention) can be used in conjunction with other textile treatments, e.g., desizing and bleaching. Scouring is the removal of non-cellulosic material from the cotton fiber, e.g., the cuticle (mainly consisting of waxes) and primary cell wall (mainly consisting of pectin, protein and xyloglucan). A proper wax removal is necessary for obtaining a high wettability. This is needed for dyeing. Removal of the primary cell walls by the processes of the invention improves wax removal and ensures a more even dyeing. Treating textiles with the processes of the invention can improve whiteness in the bleaching process. The main chemical used in scouring is sodium, hydroxide in high concentrations and at high temperatures. Bleaching comprises oxidizing the textile. Bleaching typically involves use of hydrogen peroxide as the oxidizing agent in order to obtain either a fully bleached (white) fabric or to ensure a clean shade of the dye.

The invention provides a single-bath process for desizing, scouring and bleaching of cellulosic materials. In one aspect, desizing, scouring and bleaching are carried in a single-bath by contacting the cellulosic materials simultaneously or sequentially in a container (a “single-bath”) with an enzyme system and a bleaching system comprising hydrogen peroxide or at least one peroxy compound which can generate hydrogen peroxide when dissolved in water, or combinations thereof, and at least one bleach activator. Cellulosic materials including crude fibers, yarn, or woven or knit textiles, made of cotton, linen, flax, ramie, rayon, hemp, jute, or blends of these fibers with each other or with other natural or synthetic fibers, can be treated by the processes of the invention.

The invention also provides alkaline pectinases (pectate lyases active under alkaline conditions). These have wide-ranging applications in textile processing, degumming of plant fibers (e.g., plant bast fibers), treatment of pectic wastewaters, paper making, and coffee and tea fermentations. See, e.g., Hoondal (2002) Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 59:409-418.

Treating Foods and Food Processing

The pectate lyases of the invention have numerous applications in food processing industry. For example, in one aspect, the pectate lyases of the invention are used to improve the extraction of oil from oil-rich plant material, e.g., oil-rich seeds, for example, soybean oil from soybeans, olive oil from olives, rapeseed oil from rapeseed and/or sunflower oil from sunflower seeds.

The pectate lyases of the invention can be used for separation of components of plant cell materials. For example, pectate lyases of the invention can be used in the separation of pectin-rich material (e.g., cell walls), sugar or starch-rich plant material into components, e.g., sucrose from sugar beet or starch or sugars from potato, pulp or hull fractions. In one aspect, pectate lyases of the invention can be used to separate protein-rich or oil-rich crops into valuable protein and oil and hull fractions. The separation process may be performed by use of methods known in the art.

The pectate lyases of the invention can be used in the preparation of fruit or vegetable juices, syrups, extracts and the like to increase yield. The pectate lyases of the invention can be used in the enzymatic treatment (e.g., hydrolysis of pectins and/or polygalacturonic acid, such as 1,4-linked alpha-D-galacturonic acid) of various plant cell wall-derived materials or waste materials, e.g. from wine or juice production, or agricultural residues such as vegetable hulls, bean hulls, sugar beet pulp, olive pulp, potato pulp, and the like. The pectate lyases of the invention can be used to modify the consistency and appearance of processed fruit or vegetables. For example, the pectate lyases of the invention can be used in the production of clear juices, e.g., from apples, pears or berries; to cloud stable juices, e.g., from apples, pears, berries, citrus or tomatoes; and to treat purees, e.g., from carrots and tomatoes, and to treat date syrup (see, e.g., Sidhu (2002) Food Chemistry 79:215-220). In these processes, the pectate lyases of the invention can be used with other enzymes (e.g., cellulases, amylases, etc.) or other compositions. For example, in one aspect, pectinase and cellulase enzymes are used to improve juice yield, stability and quality from a fruit, e.g., prickly pear fruit. A pectinase of the invention can improve the yield, stability and color (color-assayed as release of anthocyanins or carotenoids) and clarity of a juice. In one aspect, a combination of pectinase and cellulase is used; pectinase at 0.50% v/w can produce a high yield, a sediment-free clear juice and high-quality juice. See, e.g., Essa, Hesham A., et. al., 2002, Nahrung, 46(4):245-250.

In one aspect, an enzyme or enzyme preparation of the invention is used for de-pectinization and viscosity reduction in vegetable and/or fruit juice, e.g., in apple or pear juices or other apple or pear food preparations (e.g., sauces). In one aspect, the fruit or vegetable juice is treated with an enzyme preparation of the invention in an amount effective for degrading pectin-containing material contained in the fruit or vegetable juice.

In one aspect, the enzyme or enzyme preparation is used in the treatment of mash from fruits and vegetables in order to improve the extractability or degradability of the mash. The enzyme preparation can be used in the treatment of mash from apples and pears for juice production, and in the mash treatment of grapes for wine production.

The pectate lyases of the invention can be used to treat plant material to facilitate processing of plant material, including foods, facilitate purification or extraction of plant components such as galactans, pectins and/or polygalacturonic acids. The pectate lyases of the invention can be used to purify pectins from citrus, improve feed value, decrease the water binding capacity, improve the degradability in waste water plants and/or improve the conversion of plant material to ensilage, and the like.

Animal Feeds and Food or Feed Additives

The invention provides methods for treating animal feeds and foods and food or feed additives using pectate lyases of the invention, animals including mammals (e.g., humans), birds, fish and the like. The invention provides animal feeds, foods, and additives comprising pectate lyases of the invention. In one aspect, treating animal feeds, foods and additives using pectate lyases of the invention can help in the availability of nutrients, e.g., starch, in the animal feed or additive. This can result in release of readily digestible and easily absorbed nutrients and sugars.

Pectate lyases of the present invention, in the modification of animal feed or a food, can process the food or feed either in vitro (by modifying components of the feed or food) or in vivo. Pectate lyases can be added to animal feed or food compositions containing high amounts of arabinogalactans or galactans, e.g. feed or food containing plant material from soy bean, rape seed, lupin and the like. When added to the feed or food the pectate lyase significantly improves the in vivo break-down of plant cell wall material, whereby a better utilization of the plant nutrients by the animal (e.g., human) is achieved. In one aspect, the growth rate and/or feed conversion ratio (i.e. the weight of ingested feed relative to weight gain) of the animal is improved. For example the indigestible galactan is degraded by a pectate lyase of the invention, e.g. in combination with beta-galactosidase, to galactose or galactooligomers. These enzyme digestion products are more digestible by the animal. Thus, they can contribute to the available energy of the feed. Also, by the degradation of galactan the pectate lyase of the invention can improve the digestibility and uptake of non-carbohydrate feed constituents such as protein, fat and minerals.

In another aspect, pectate lyase of the invention can be supplied by expressing the enzymes directly in transgenic feed crops (as, e.g., transgenic plants, seeds and the like), such as corn, soy bean, rape seed, lupin and the like. As discussed above, the invention provides transgenic plants, plant parts and plant cells comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide of the invention. In one aspect, the nucleic acid is expressed such that the pectate lyase of the invention is produced in recoverable quantities. The pectate lyase e can be recovered from any plant or plant part. Alternatively, the plant or plant part containing the recombinant polypeptide can be used as such for improving the quality of a food or feed, e.g., improving nutritional value, palatability, and rheological properties, or to destroy an antinutritive factor.

Paper or Pulp Treatment

The pectate lyases of the invention can be in paper or pulp treatment or paper deinking. For example, in one aspect, the invention provides a paper treatment process using pectate lyases of the invention. In one aspect, the pectate lyases can be used to modify pectin and/or polygalacturonic acid, such as 1,4-linked alpha-D-galacturonic acid. In another aspect, paper components of recycled photocopied paper during chemical and enzymatic deinking processes. In one aspect, pectate lyases of the invention can be used in combination with cellulases. The paper can be treated by the following three processes: 1) disintegration in the presence of pectate lyases of the invention, 2) disintegration with a deinking chemical and pectate lyases of the invention, and/or 3) disintegration after soaking with pectate lyases of the invention. The recycled paper treated with pectate lyases can have a higher brightness due to removal of toner particles as compared to the paper treated with just cellulase. While the invention is not limited by any particular mechanism, the effect of pectate lyases of the invention may be due to its behavior as surface-active agents in pulp suspension.

The invention provides methods of treating paper and paper pulp using one or more pectate lyases of the invention. The pectate lyases of the invention can be used in any paper- or pulp-treating method, which are well known in the art, see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,241,849; 6,066,233; 5,582,681. For example, in one aspect, the invention provides a method for deinking and decolorizing a printed paper containing a dye, comprising pulping a printed paper to obtain a pulp slurry, and dislodging an ink from the pulp slurry in the presence of pectate lyases of the invention (other enzymes can also be added). In another aspect, the invention provides a method for enhancing the freeness of pulp, e.g., pulp made from secondary fiber, by adding an enzymatic mixture comprising pectate lyases of the invention (can also include other enzymes, e.g., cellulase, amylase or glucoamylase enzymes) to the pulp and treating under conditions to cause a reaction to produce an enzymatically treated pulp. The freeness of the enzymatically treated pulp is increased from the initial freeness of the secondary fiber pulp without a loss in brightness.

Repulping: Treatment of Lignocellulosic Materials

The invention also provides a method for the treatment of lignocellulosic fibers, wherein the fibers are treated with pectate lyases of the invention, in an amount which is efficient for improving the fiber properties. The pectate lyases of the invention may also be used in the production of lignocellulosic materials such as pulp, paper and cardboard, from starch-reinforced waste paper and cardboard, especially where repulping occurs at pH above 7 and where pectate lyases can facilitate the disintegration of the waste material through degradation of cell walls. The pectate lyases of the invention can be useful in a process for producing a papermaking pulp from starch-coated printed paper. The process may be performed as described in, e.g., WO 95/14807.

An exemplary process comprises disintegrating the paper to produce a pulp, treating with a pectin-degrading enzyme of the invention before, during or after the disintegrating, and separating ink particles from the pulp after disintegrating and enzyme treatment. See also U.S. Pat. No. 6,309,871 and other US patents cited herein. Thus, the invention includes a method for enzymatic deinking of recycled paper pulp, wherein pectate lyases are applied in an amount which is efficient for effective de-inking of the fiber surface.

Waste Treatment

The pectate lyases of the invention can be used in a variety of other industrial applications, e.g., in waste treatment. For example, in one aspect, the invention provides a solid waste digestion process using pectate lyases of the invention. The methods can comprise reducing the mass and volume of substantially untreated solid waste. Solid waste can be treated with an enzymatic digestive process in the presence of an enzymatic solution (including pectate lyases of the invention) at a controlled temperature. This results in a reaction without appreciable bacterial fermentation from added microorganisms. The solid waste is converted into a liquefied waste and any residual solid waste. The resulting liquefied waste can be separated from said any residual solidified waste. See e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,796.

Oral Care Products

The invention provides oral care product comprising pectate lyases of the invention. Exemplary oral care products include toothpastes, dental creams, gels or tooth powders, odontics, mouth washes, pre- or post brushing rinse formulations, chewing gums, lozenges, or candy. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,264,925.

Brewing and Fermenting

The invention provides methods of brewing (e.g., fermenting) beer comprising pectate lyases of the invention. In one exemplary process, starch-containing raw materials are disintegrated and processed to form a malt. A pectate lyase of the invention is used at any point in the fermentation process. For example, pectate lyases of the invention can be used in the processing of barley malt. The major raw material of beer brewing is barley malt. This can be a three stage process. First, the barley grain can be steeped to increase water content, e.g., to around about 40%. Second, the grain can be germinated by incubation at 15 to 25° C. for 3 to 6 days when enzyme synthesis is stimulated under the control of gibberellins. In one aspect, pectate lyases of the invention are added at this (or any other) stage of the process. The action of pectate lyases results in an increase in fermentable reducing sugars. This can be expressed as the diastatic power, DP, which can rise from around 80 to 190 in 5 days at 12° C. Pectate lyases of the invention can be used in any beer or alcoholic beverage producing process, as described, e.g., in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,762,991; 5,536,650; 5,405,624; 5,021,246; 4,788,066.

Other Industrial Applications

The invention also includes a method of increasing the flow of production fluids from a subterranean formation by removing a viscous, pectin-containing, damaging fluid formed during production operations and found within the subterranean formation which surrounds a completed well bore comprising allowing production fluids to flow from the well bore; reducing the flow of production fluids from the formation below expected flow rates; formulating an enzyme treatment by blending together an aqueous fluid and a polypeptide of the invention; pumping the enzyme treatment to a desired location within the well bore; allowing the enzyme treatment to degrade the viscous, pectin-containing, damaging fluid, whereby the fluid can be removed from the subterranean formation to the well surface; and wherein the enzyme treatment is effective to attack the pectin in cell walls.

The invention will be further described with reference to the following examples; however, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to such examples.

EXAMPLES Example 1 Pectate Lyase Activity Assays

The following example describes exemplary pectate lyase activity assays to determine the catalytic activity of a pectate lyase. These exemplary assays can be used to determine if a polypeptide is within the scope of the invention.

APSU Unit Viscosity Assay

APSU units: The APSU unit assay is a viscosity measurement using the substrate polygalacturonic acid with no added calcium.

The substrate 5% polygalacturonic acid sodium salt (Sigma P-1879) is solubilized in 0.1 M glycine buffer pH 10. The 4 ml substrate is preincubated for 5 min at 40° C. The enzyme is added (in a volume of 250 μl) and mixed for 10 sec on a mixer at maximum speed, it is then incubated for 20 min at 40° C. For a standard curve double determination of a dilution of enzyme concentration in the range of 5 APSU/ml to above 100 APSU/ml with minimum of 4 concentrations between 10 and 60 APSU per ml. The viscosity can be measured using a MIVI 600™ (Sofraser, Villemandeur, France). The viscosity can be measured as mV after 10 sec. The GRAFPAD PRISM™ Prism program, using a non linear fit with a one phase exponential decay with a plateau, can be used for calculations. The plateau plus span is the mV obtained without enzyme. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,368,843.

Beta-elimination Assay

An exemplary lyase assay (at 235 nm) for the determination of the beta-elimination activity measures increases in absorbance at 235 nm. The substrate 0.1% polygalacturonic acid sodium salt (Sigma P-1879) is solubilized in 0.1 M Glycine buffer pH 10. For calculation of the catalytic rate an increase of 5.2 absorbency at 235 units per min corresponds to formation of 1 μmol of unsaturated product (see, e.g., Nasuna (1966) J. Biol. Chem. 241:5298-5306; Bartling (1995) Microbiology 141:873-881). Steady state condition is measured using a 0.5 ml cuvette with a 1 cm light path on a HP diode array spectrophotometer in a temperature controlled cuvette holder with continuous measurement of the absorbency at 235 nm. For steady state a linear increase for at least 200 sec can be used for calculation of the rate. It is used for converting pmol per min product. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,368,843.

Agar Assay

Pectate lyase activity can be measured by an agar assay. A test solution is applied to 4 mm holes punched out in agar plates (e.g., LB agar), containing 0.7% w/v sodium polygalacturonate (Sigma P 1879). The plates are then incubated for 6 h at a particular temperature (e.g., 75° C.). The plates are then soaked in either (i) 1M CaCl₂ for 0.5 h or (ii) 1% mixed alkyl trimethylammonium Br (MTAB, Sigma M-7635) for 1 h. Both of these procedures cause the precipitation of polygalacturonate within the agar. Pectate lyase activity can be detected by the appearance of clear zones within a background of precipitated polygalacturonate. Sensitivity of the assay is calibrated using dilution of a standard preparation of pectate lyase.

Endpoint Analysis—Trans-elimination at 235 nm for Pectate Lyases (High Calcium Method: 1 mM Calcium in the Final Incubation Mixture). In this method, the substrate and enzyme is incubated for 20 min at 37° C. followed by measurement at 235 nm of the formation of double bounds. Finally, the rate of the degradation is calculated based on the molar extinction coefficient in terms of Trans Units.

Procedure: Mixing of 0.5 ml enzyme dilution with 0.5 ml substrate solution. Substrate: Polygalacturonic acid from Sigma P-1879 lot 77H3784. Buffer 2×0.1M Glycine pH 10+, 2.0 mmol CaCl₂, Stop reagent: 0.02 M H₃PO₄, Temperature of incubation 37° C., Reaction time 20 min. Extinction coefficient of the trans-elimination 0.0052 μmol cm⁻¹. Enzyme diluted in ion-free water to 0.5 to 5 APSU per ml. Main value in duplicate 0.5 ml. The 2% w/v substrate in 2×.buffer is mixed with 0.5 ml diluted enzyme. Both pre-incubated 5 min on water bath at 37° C. Incubate for 20 min. Stop using 5 ml stop reagent and mix. Blank mix enzyme and stop reagent first and then ad substrate all in the same volume.

Enzyme 0.5 ml Substrate 0.5 ml Stop   5 ml Total volume   6 ml Measure the absorbency at 235 nm in a 1 cm cuvette. Calculate the formation of trans-elimination per min using the extinction coefficient of 0.0052 μmol cm⁻¹. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,368,843.

Example 2 Cotton Bio-Scouring Application Assay

The following example describes an exemplary Cotton Scouring Application Assay using the pectate lyase enzymes of the invention. Use of the pectate lyases of the invention to hydrolyze primary cell wall pectin (“bioscouring”) can eliminate the need for caustics and high temperatures in cotton fiber scouring.

Materials/Preparation:

-   -   Requires 50 mM Sodium-Bicarbonate buffer at optimum pH     -   1:10 dilution of Calloway 1663 surfactant     -   50 mM Phosphate buffer pH 6         -   Mix 43.3 mL of 1.0 M Na—P monobasic, 6.6 mL of 1.0 M Na—P             dibasic, adjust volume to 1 L with D.I. water. Adjust pH to             6     -   Ruthenium Red (R-2751 SIGMA)         -   Add 0.5 g of Ruthenium Red to the 1 L Phosphate Buffer             producing a final concentration of 0.05%.     -   NaOAc (5 g/L pH 5)     -   Cotton fabric 400R (Testfabrics Inc.) which is desized prior         scouring

Scouring Procedure:

-   -   1. Place 1.0 g of desized cotton fabric (into each Labomat         beaker).     -   2. Each experiment should use a blank, untreated cotton (no         enzyme added).     -   3. Add 50 mL of 50 mM Sodium-Bicarbonate buffer at pH 8.5-9 to         each beaker and 2.5 mL of 1:10 dilution of Calloway Surfactant         1663.     -   4. Tighten the lids using an Allen wrench and install the         beakers into the Labomat. making sure that the beakers are         distributed evenly on the rotary rack. Connect beaker 1 with the         temperature detecting cable to the connector in the middle of         the rack.     -   5. Ramp up the heat to the desired temperature and hold for 10         minutes.     -   6. Add 50-200 uL of enzyme (e.g., a pectate lyase of the         invention) at a concentration previously diluted to 0.1 ug/uL         through septum in the beaker using a syringe. Total enzyme         concentration used to scour 1 gram cotton fabric can be between         5-20 ug.     -   7. Run the reaction in the Labomat at temperature for 15         minutes.     -   8. Rinse the cotton fabric twice by pouring the cotton fabric         into the hand and squeezing the cotton dry, place the cotton         back into the beaker and filling the beaker with D.I. water and         repeating this step again, finish with squeezing the excess         water out of the cotton.     -   9. Soak the cotton fabric in NaOAc (5 g/L pH 5) for 2 minutes.     -   10. Repeat the 2× rinse cycle in step 8.     -   11. Place the cotton fabric on weigh-boats and allow the fabric         to dry overnight in the laminar flow biohoods.

Dyeing Procedure:

-   -   1. Place the treated cotton fabric in the Labomat beakers.     -   2. Add 100 mL of 0.05% Ruthenium Red, Na—P buffer pH 6 to each         beaker.     -   3. Tighten the lids using an Allen wrench and install the         beakers into the Labomat making sure that the beakers are         distributed evenly on the rotary rack. Connect beaker 1 with the         temperature detecting cable to the connector in the middle of         the rack.     -   4. Ramp up the heat to 50° C. and hold for 30 minutes.     -   5. Rinse the fabric twice by pouring the cotton into the hand         and squeezing the cotton dry, place the fabric back into the         beaker and filling the beaker with D.I. water and repeating this         step again, finish with squeezing the excess water out of the         fabric.     -   6. Place the dyed fabric into the beaker and add 100 mL of D.I.         water.     -   7. Tighten the lids using Allen wrench and install the beakers         into the Labomat making sure that the beakers are distributed         evenly on the rotary rack.     -   8. Ramp up the heat to 100° C. and hold for 10 minutes; cool the         beakers down to 60° C.     -   9. Repeat the 2× rinse cycle in step 5.     -   10. Place the dyed fabric on weigh-boats and allow the fabric to         dry overnight in the laminar flow biohoods.

Enzyme Scouring Quantification.

-   -   1. Calibrate the GretagMacbeth Color Eye 7000A by selecting the         Color Eye Icon on the desk top of the computer.     -   2. Place the black lens over the orifice and hit enter when the         program request the calibration of the negative thresh hold.     -   3. Place the white filter over the orifice and hit enter when         the program request the calibration of the white balance.     -   4. Place the dry dyed fabric over the orifice and push F4 to         read the fabric whiteness.     -   5. Record the L* number, turn the fabric over to read the other         side and record the L* number. Compute the average L* number for         each sample.     -   6. Graph the delta L for each cotton scoured sample by         subtracting the samples L* number with the untreated fabric L*.

Example 3 A Single-bath Process for Desizing and Scouring

The following example describes an exemplary single-bath process for desizing and scouring. The invention provides methods and compositions for desizing, scouring and bleaching of cellulosic materials by contacting the cellulosic materials simultaneously or sequentially in a single-bath process with an enzyme system comprising a pectate lyase of the invention. The single-bath process can further comprise a bleaching system comprising hydrogen peroxide or at least one peroxy compound which generates hydrogen peroxide when dissolved in water, or combinations thereof, and at least one bleach activator.

Cellulosic materials including crude fibers, yarn, or woven or knit textiles, made of cotton, linen, flax, ramie, rayon, hemp, jute, or blends of these fibers with each other or with other natural or synthetic fibers, can be treated by this single-bath process of the invention. In one aspect, a fabric weighing is loaded into a container, which is subsequently filled with a buffer solution (e.g., 20 mM Na phosphate buffer, pH 9.2) comprising a pectate lyase of the invention (e.g., 3000 APSU/kg-fiber of pectate lyase), wetting agent (e.g., 0.5 g/L), H₂O₂ (e.g., 1.7 g/L) and stabilizer (e.g., 0.75 g/L). The fabric can be treated, e.g., at 55° C. for about 15 min, after which temperature was raised at 5° C./min to 70° C. for 1 h. The fabric is then washed thoroughly with water to remove the residual chemicals and dried at room temperature overnight.

Example 4 Assay for Detecting Thermotolerant Enzymes

The following example describes an exemplary assay for detecting thermotolerant enzymes that can be used to determine if an enzyme is within the scope of the invention. This example describes an absorbance based screening (“discovery) assay for detecting thermotolerant enzymes, which, in one aspect, can be characterized as “up-mutants” from a “parental” pectate lyase gene. This exemplary protocol can be used for variants, or mutants, generated by either the GSSM™ or combinatorial methods.

Materials and Preparations

-   -   a. Polygalacturonic Acid (PGA), and 2% [Sigma P-3889]     -   b. UV (friendly) 96 Well Flat Bottom Plates [Thomson Instrument         931801 B]     -   c. COSTAR 96 Well Plates     -   d. Adhesive PCR Foil Seals [Marsh AB-0626]     -   e. B-PER [PIERCE 78248]     -   f. LBamp100 or LBcarb100     -   g. TRIS pH 8.0 (250 mM, 10×)     -   h. Glycine (250 mM, 10×)     -   i. 0.2% Polygalacturonic Acid Substrate for enzyme activity         detection: 100 mL of each of the following: 10× Tris, 10×         Glycine, and 2% PGA, plus 700 mL of holy water.     -   j. Plates: aliquot 200 μL of medium, LBamp100 or LBcarb100, into         the wells of both the COSTAR and the UV friendly 96 well flat         bottom plates

Colony Picking and Plate Replication

GSSM™ or combinatorial mutant clones colonies were picked with an Autogen (Framingham, Mass.) colony picker and the cells were inoculated into LBamp 100 medium. A total of 168 GSSM™ clones were screened per residue site or 13,000 clones from the combinatorial library 2328 were screened. The mutated clones were picked into rows A, B, C, E, F, G, and H of the 96 well plate. Wild Type (wt) clone (SEQ ID NO:132, encoded by SEQ ID NO:131) were picked into row D as a control. After completing the colony picking, the plates were incubated overnight (approximately 18 hrs) at 37° C., shaking at 150 RPM. These plates will be referred to as the master plates from now on.

Copies of each master plate were made into UV friendly plates (now called “assay plates”) using the automated plate replicator. Once replication was complete, the assay plates were placed in a humidified 30° C. incubator overnight.

Primary Assay

Cell densities in each well of all plates were determined at OD₆₀₀ using a SPECTRAMAX™ (Molecular Devices Corporation, Sunnyvale Calif.) system. All assay plates were then sealed with PCR Foil Seals and then spun at 2200 rpm in an Eppendorf centrifuge for 10 minutes. Using the PowerWasher system, the supernatant was then aspirated out of the assay plates leaving only the cells behind. 20 μL of B-PER™ (Pierce Biotechnology, Rockford, Ill.) was then added to each well and the assay plates were resealed. The plates were then placed on a plate shaker for 10 minutes in order to ensure proper cell lyses. The plates were then placed in an incubator preheated to 50° C. for 50 minutes for the GSSM™ assay or 70° C. for 25 minutes for the combinatorial up-mutant assay. The assay plates were then removed from the incubator after the proper heat challenge time and quickly cooled to room temperature. The SPECTRAMAX™ was used to read kinetics at wavelength 235 nm over a 2 minute period. Any putative hit that performed better that wild type was broken out for a secondary assay. FIG. 8 illustrates a residue with multiple positive hits. In FIG. 8, Row D contains the residual activity of the wild type (wt), SEQ ID NO:132, and rows A, B, C, E, F, G, H are the GSSM™ clones of mutation site 182.

Secondary Assay

All wells that showed an improved enzymatic rate compared to the wild type performance were identified and the clones from the respective master plate were broken out. Using aseptic techniques, a sterile toothpick was used in the well of a putative hit from the master plate. Cells adhering to the toothpick were transferred to a new plate selecting a new well with 200 μL LBamp100. Also, in the same manner, row D was filled with WT for each break out plate. The secondary master plates were placed in the 30° C. humidified incubator overnight. The secondary master plates were then pin tooled into UV friendly 96 well plates. The secondary assay plates were then placed in a 30° C. humidified incubator overnight. Cell densities in each well of all plates were determined at OD₆₀₀ using the SpectraMax systems. All assay plates were then sealed with PCR Foil Seals and then spun at 2200 rpm in an Eppendorf Centrifuge for 10 minutes. The remaining steps of the secondary assay were the same as indicated for the primary assay. Any confirmed hits that performed better that wild type were broken out and tested again in the tertiary assay.

Tertiary Assay

5 μL of culture from wells that confirmed improved thermotolerance activity from the wild type clone were aliquotted onto a small LBcarb100 petri dish to make streak plates. 5 μL of one of the control “wild type” (wt) (SEQ ID NO:132, encoded by SEQ ID NO:131) wells was also used to make a streak plate. The streak plates were incubated at 37° C. overnight. A small section of an individual colony was scraped and the cells were inoculated 5 mL of LBcarb100. The culture was allowed to grow overnight at 37° C. at 200 RPM. The confirmed hit was then diluted to OD₆₀₀=0.2. 200 μL of a confirmed clone was aliquotted into a well, filling an entire row on the 96 well UV friendly plate. The same was done for a wt control. All plates were then sealed and spun at 2000 rpm in the Eppendorf Centrifuge for 10 minutes. The remaining steps of the tertiary assay were the same as indicated for the primary assay. At the end, all putative hits that performed better that wild type were sent for sequencing. Glycerol stocks were also prepared.

Example 5 Processes and Formulations for Enzymes of the Invention

The following example describes exemplary processes (e.g., a bioscouring process) and formulations of the invention. Compositions and processes of the invention were tested using the exemplary pectate lyase having a sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:134, encoded by, e.g., SEQ ID NO:133 (“SEQ ID NO:134”).

Definition of Unit:

Pectate lyase activity (of SEQ ID NO: 134) was routinely measured using 0.2% (w/v) polygalacturonic acid (Sigma, P3850) in 25 mM Tris HCl-25 mM Glycine NaOH buffer. One unit of enzyme activity was defined as the amount of protein that produced 1 μmol of unsaturated oligogalacturonides per minute equivalent to 1 μmol of unsaturated digalacturonide, using molecular extinction coefficient value of 4600 M⁻¹cm⁻¹ at 235 nm for dimer.

SpectraMax instrumentation in 96-well UV plates was used.

Formulation Strength:

The enzymes of the invention can be formulated in any dosage to suit a particular need; assays for determining the optimal dosage for any particular formulation are known in the art, and several are described herein. In alternative aspects, formulations of the invention can have a low strength of between about 2000 to 4000 u/ml (where u=unit). This is comparable to the other products on the market. In one aspect, the formulation minimum is about 1000 u/ml, and, in another aspect, the formulation maximum is about 10,000 u/ml, e.g., the formulation can comprise an enzyme of the invention in an amount of between about 1000 u/ml and 10,000 u/ml.

Solubility studies with lyophilized product (SEQ ID NO:134) resuspended in water indicated that the solubility of the enzyme can be as high as 25000 u/ml at 4° C. Therefore, in one aspect, the invention provides formulations having a level as high as about 25000 u/ml, or more. In one aspect the invention provides formulations comprising an enzyme of the invention in an amount of between about 100 u/ml and 25000 u/ml, 30000 u/ml, 35000 u/ml or 40000 u/ml, or more.

Formulation Design:

The invention provides formulations comprising at least one enzyme of the invention, and, in alternative aspects, further comprising any additive(s). Formulations of the invention can be based on known additives in other, e.g., analogous, enzyme formulations. For example, formulations of the invention can comprise the additives and/or conditions set forth in Tables 3, 4, 5 and 6, below, or any variation thereof. For example, formulations of the invention can comprise glycerol, sucrose, sodium chloride, dextrin, propylene glycol, sorbitol, sodium sulphate or TRIS, or an equivalent.

In one aspect, a formulation of the invention can be a water based formulation, or, an oil-based formulation.

Two phases of formulation stability studies were conducted; these studies used the exemplary enzyme SEQ ID NO:134:

Accelerated Stability Study at 37° C.

Note: these are buffer based formulations.

-   -   Screen various additives     -   Test different pH values     -   Formulations at approximately 2000 u/ml.     -   SEQ ID NO:134 was the exemplary enzyme tested

TABLE 3 (SN = sample number) Effective Sodium Propylene Sodium TRIS SN pH Glycerol Sucrose chloride Dextrin glycol sorbitol sulphate Conc. 1 5 40 mM 2 6 40 mM 3 7 40 mM 4 8 40 mM 5 7.5 35% 20 mM 6 7.5 50% 20 mM 7 7.5 35% 20 mM 8 7.5 20% 20 mM 9 7.5 10% 20 mM 10 7.5 30% 20 mM 11 7.5 100 mM 20 mM 12 7.5 35% 20 mM 13 5.5 35% 40 mM 14 5.5 50% 40 mM

Best performing formulations (using SEQ ID NO:134 as an exemplary enzyme of the invention) based on physical appearance and retention of greater than 80% activity:

TABLE 4 Formulation Additive 1 pH 5.0, 40 mM TRIS 3 pH 7.0, 40 mM TRIS 4 pH 8.0, 40 mM TRIS 6 pH 7.5, 50% glycerol 8 pH 7.5, 20% NaCl 10 pH 7.5, 30% propylene glycol 11 pH 7.5, 100 mM sodium sulfate 13 pH 5.5, 35% glycerol

In alternative aspects, the formulations of the invention can be at approximately 10,000 u/ml, or in an amount of between about 100 u/ml, 200 u/ml, 300 u/ml, 400 u/ml or 500 u/ml and 10,000 u/ml, 15,000 u/ml, 20,000 u/ml, 25000 u/ml, 30000 u/ml, 35000 u/ml or 40000 u/ml, or more. In alternative aspects, the formulations of the invention can be at approximately 500 to 30,000 units/ml, 1000 to 25,000 units/ml, or, between about 1000 to 20,000 units/ml, 1000 to 15,000 units/ml, 1000 to 10000 units/ml, 1000 to 5000 units/ml, between about 2000 to 20000 units/ml, between about 2000 to 15000 units/ml, between about 2000 to 10000 units/ml, or between about 2000 to 4000 units/ml. In alternative aspects, the formulations of the invention can comprise a water-based formulation, e.g., when no buffer is feasible; any water-based buffer system can be used.

TABLE 5 PECTATE LYASE FORMULATION STABILITY STUDY PHASE II Formulation No. pH Buffer ADDITIVES 1 pH 7.0 NA 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate 2 pH 7.0 NA 300 ppm proxel 3 pH 7.0 NA sodium chloride 15% 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate 4 pH 7.0 NA sodium chloride 15% 300 ppm proxel 5 pH 7.0 NA glycerol 35% 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate 6 pH 7.0 NA glycerol 35% 300 ppm proxel 7 pH 7.0 NA sodium chloride 10% glycerol 25% 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate 8 pH 7.0 NA sodium chloride 10% glycerol 25% 300 ppm proxel 9 pH 5.5 NA 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate 10 pH 5.5 NA 300 ppm proxel 11 pH 5.5 NA sodium chloride 15% 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate 12 pH 5.5 NA sodium chloride 15% 300 ppm proxel 13 pH 5.5 NA glycerol 35% 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate 14 pH 5.5 NA glycerol 35% 300 ppm proxel 15 pH 5.5 NA sodium chloride 10% glycerol 25% 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate 16 pH 5.5 NA sodium chloride 10% glycerol 25% 300 ppm proxel CONTROLS 17 pH 7.0 TRIS glycerol 35% 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate 18 pH 5.5 TRIS glycerol 35% 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate 19 pH 7.0 Acetate glycerol 35% 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate 20 pH 5.5 Acetate glycerol 35% 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate

Additional buffers that can be used in a formulation of the invention: 20 mM MOPS, pH 7 or 25 mM MOPS, 50 mM NaCl, pH 7.5.

Best performing formulations (using SEQ ID NO:134 as an exemplary enzyme of the invention) based on physical appearance and retention of greater than 80% activity:

TABLE 6 Formulation No Details 5 pH 7, 35% glycerol, 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate 6 pH 7, 35% glycerol, 300 ppm proxel 7 pH 7, 10% sodium chloride, 25% glycerol, 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate 8 pH 7, 10% sodium chloride, 25% glycerol, 300 ppm proxel 13  pH 5.5, 35% glycerol, 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate 14  pH 5.5, 35% glycerol, 300 ppm proxel 15  pH 5.5, 10% sodium chloride, 25% glycerol, 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate 20* 20 mM acetate buffer, pH 5.5, 35% glycerol

For example, the invention provides formulations comprising at least one enzyme of the invention and comprising a buffer (formulation) of: pH 7, 35% glycerol, 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate; pH 7, 35% glycerol, 300 ppm proxel; pH 7, 10% sodium chloride, 25% glycerol, 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate; pH 7, 10% sodium chloride, 25% glycerol, 300 ppm proxel; pH 5.5, 35% glycerol, 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate; pH 5.5, 35% glycerol, 300 ppm proxel; pH 5.5, 10% sodium chloride, 25% glycerol, 0.1% sodium benzoate, 0.1% potassium sorbate; or, 20 mM acetate buffer, pH 5.5, 35% glycerol; 20 mM MOPS, pH 7 or 25 mM MOPS, 50 mM NaCl, pH 7.5; pH 5.0, 40 mM TRIS; pH 7.0, 40 mM TRIS; pH 8.0, 40 mM TRIS; pH 7.5, 50% glycerol; pH 7.5, 20% NaCl; pH 7.5, 30% propylene glycol; pH 7.5, 100 mM sodium sulfate; pH 5.5, 35% glycerol; or, any combination thereof, or, with equivalents thereof.

Exemplary Bioscouring Application

-   -   In one aspect, pH is pH 8.5 (bicarbonate buffer)     -   Non-ionic wetting agent (1 g/L) [e.g.: Apollowet NFW]     -   Liquor ratio in the enzyme bath: 10:1 to 50:1 (L liquor:kg         fabric)     -   Enzyme dose: 0.137 ml of the concentrated extract per kg of         fabric     -   Temperature range: between about 50° C. to 70° C.     -   Treatment time about 20 min     -   Chelants should be excluded from the enzyme bath, and should         only be added after 20 minutes of enzyme treatment and retained         for 10 minutes before discharging bath

Thus, in the invention provides a bioscouring process using at least one enzyme of the invention comprising at least one, several or all of the following steps/limitations: pH is pH 8.5, in bicarbonate buffer, comprising a non-ionic wetting agent (at, e.g., 1 g/L), where the liquor ratio in the enzyme bath is between about 10:1 to 50:1 (L liquor:kg fabric), where the enzyme dose is between about 0.1 and 0.2 ml, e.g., at about 0.137 ml of the concentrated extract per kg of fabric, at a temperature range: between about 50° C. to 70° C.; with a treatment time about 20 min; and, in one aspect, comprising chelants, which should be excluded from the enzyme bath and should only be added after 20 minutes of enzyme treatment and retained for 10 minutes before discharging bath.

The enzyme SEQ ID NO:134 performed well in the range of 5 to 25 grams of pure enzyme per ton of treated fabric.

A number of embodiments of the invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly; other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. 

1. An isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acid molecule comprising (a) a nucleic acid sequence having at least 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or more, or 100% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:77 or SEQ ID NO:131 and encoding a polypeptide having pectate lyase (EC 4.2.2.2) activity, or enzymatically active fragments thereof; (b) a nucleic acid sequence comprising the sequence SEQ ID NO:77 or SEQ ID NO:131 and encoding a polypeptide having pectate lyase (EC 4.2.2.2) activity, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof; (c) a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide having pectate lyase (EC 4.2.2.2) activity, wherein the polypeptide has at least 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or more, or 100% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:78 or SEQ ID NO:132, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof; (d) a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide having pectate lyase (EC 4.2.2.2) activity, wherein the polypeptide has the sequence SEQ ID NO:78 or SEQ ID NO:132, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof; (e) the nucleic acid sequence of (c) or (d) further comprising a heterologous sequence encoding a signal sequence, a catalytic domain, and/or prepro domain from a different pectate lyase operably linked to the nucleic acid sequence or encoding a signal sequence and/or prepro domain from a non-pectate lyase protein linked to the nucleic acid sequence; (f) a sequence complementary to the full-length nucleic acid of (a), (b), (c), (d), or (e).
 2. The isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acid of claim 1, wherein the pectate lyase activity comprises the breakup or dissolution of a plant fiber or a plant cell wall; beta-elimination (trans-elimination) cleavage of pectin, polygalacturonic acid (pectate), 1,4-linked alpha-D-galacturonic acid, and/or methyl-esterified galacturonic acid; and/or catalyzes the random cleavage of alpha-1,4-glycosidic linkages in pectic acid (polygalacturonic acid).
 3. An isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acid, comprising: (a) a polynucleotide sequence that hybridizes under stringent conditions to the complete complement of a nucleic acid comprising SEQ ID NO:77 or SEQ ID NO:131, wherein the polynucleotide sequence encodes a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity and, wherein the stringent conditions include a wash step comprising a wash in 0.2.times SSC at a temperature of about 65 degrees C. for about 15 minutes, or (b) a nucleic acid sequence complementary to the full-length sequence of (a).
 4. A nucleic acid probe for identifying a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide with a pectate lyase activity, wherein the probe comprises at least 75, 100, 150, 200, 300, 400 or 500 consecutive bases of SEQ ID NO:77 or SEQ ID NO:131, wherein the probe identifies the nucleic acid by binding or hybridization under stringent conditions, wherein the stringent conditions include a wash step comprising a wash in 0.2 times SSC at a temperature of about 65 degrees C. for about 15 minutes.
 5. An amplification primer sequence pair for amplifying a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a pectate lyase activity, wherein the primer pair is capable of amplifying the nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 or claim 3, or a fragment thereof encoding a polypeptide with pectate lyase activity.
 6. An expression cassette comprising a nucleic acid comprising the nucleic acid molecule as set forth in claim 1 or claim
 3. 7. A vector or cloning vehicle comprising a nucleic acid comprising the nucleic acid molecule as set forth in claim 1 or claim
 3. 8. A transformed cell comprising a nucleic acid comprising the nucleic acid molecule as set forth in claim 1 or claim
 3. 9. An antisense oligonucleotide consisting of a nucleic acid sequence complementary to or capable of hybridizing under stringent conditions to the nucleic acid sequence of claim 1 or claim 3, or a fragment thereof wherein the stringent conditions include a wash step comprising a wash in 0.2 times SSC at a temperature of about 65 degrees C. for about 15 minutes.
 10. A double-stranded inhibitory RNA (RNAi) molecule comprising a fragment of the nucleic acid sequence of claim 1 or claim
 3. 11. An array comprising the nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 or claim 3, wherein the nucleic acid molecule is immobilized.
 12. A method of producing a recombinant polypeptide comprising the steps of: (a) providing a nucleic acid operably linked to a promoter, wherein the nucleic acid comprises the nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 or claim 3; and (b) expressing the nucleic acid of step (a) under conditions that allow expression of the encoded polypeptide, thereby producing the recombinant polypeptide.
 13. A method for overexpressing a recombinant pectate lyase in a cell wherein, the method comprises expressing a vector comprising the nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 or claim 3, wherein, overexpression is achieved by use of a high activity promoter, a dicistronic vector, or by gene amplification of the vector.
 14. The isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acid molecule of claim 1, wherein the pectate lyase activity is exo-acting or endo-acting.
 15. The isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acid molecule of claim 1, wherein the pectate lyase activity is thermostable or thermotolerant.
 16. The isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acid molecule of claim 1, wherein the nucleic acid sequence has at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 77 or SEQ ID NO: 131 and encodes a polypeptide having pectate lyase activity.
 17. The isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acid molecule of claim 1, wherein the nucleic acid sequence has at least 97% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 77 or SEQ ID NO: 131 and encodes a polypeptide having pectate lyase activity.
 18. The isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acid molecule of claim 1, wherein the nucleic acid sequence has at least 98% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 77 or SEQ ID NO: 131 and encodes a polypeptide having pectate lyase activity.
 19. The isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acid molecule of claim 1, wherein the nucleic acid sequence has at least 99% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 77 or SEQ ID NO: 131 and encodes a polypeptide having pectate lyase activity. 